Minnesota authorities charged the former CEO of a Christian voting nonprofit after he was accused of having a hard drive containing images of child pornography.
Jason Yates, 55, the ex-CEO of evangelical organization My Faith Votes, was charged in McLeod County with eight counts of possession of pornographic work involving minors under 14.
A court document filed last month said a relative of Mr. Yates accidentally discovered the illicit material in July when the person, when searching for more storage for personal use, found the hard drive in the suspect’s office.
The family member saw suggestive images and then took the hard drive to an unspecified witness, the affidavit said. That witness found over 100 images related to child pornography on the drive.
The court document said the images showed multiple girls between the ages of 5 to 12 years old who were either nude or had their genitals exposed. At least one picture portrayed sex with an adult.
Mr. Yates stepped down from his position as CEO of My Faith Votes in August, according to Religious News Service.
The organization works to mobilize Christians “to vote and stand for biblical values.”
RNS reported that Mr. Yates met with investigators in September where he allegedly refused to share the password to access the hard drive.
During this meeting, the outlet reported, Mr. Yates told authorities he had a prior child pornography conviction that had been expunged.
Mr. Yates has twice written for The Washington Times’ commentary section since 2017.
If convicted, Mr. Yates could spend up to 80 years behind bars.
