By Jonathan Burgos –
A Philadelphia man already facing a trial on firearms charges has been charged in a child pornography case after detectives found explicit images and videos on his cellphone.
A 36 year-old man named Jermaine Bantum was preliminarily arraigned last week on charges of child pornography and criminal use of a communication facility. He is being held at the Bucks County Correctional Facility without bail.
Investigation began during the summer of 2024 when a Bucks County Detective, who was working with the Bucks County Gun Violence Task Force, interviewed Bantum in Philadelphia. During that arrest, detectives seized Bantum’s iPhone, and Bantum gave them permission to search it, authorities said.
As they were searching the phone, they came upon child pornography, police said. Police filed for a search warrant to further investigate the phone. The search revealed 77 files of suspected child pornography, including images and videos featuring teen boys.
Bantum was previously arrested last fall on more than 100 charges, including selling or transferring a firearm to an ineligible person, lying on firearms paperwork, and dealing in the proceeds of an unlawful act. He is scheduled to stand trial on those charges in April.