SAN DIEGO (Web Desk) – A 25-year-old former beauty queen has been charged in Southern California with distributing pornographic photos of a 4-year-old girl who is her relative, prosecutors said.
Meghan Breanna Alt, 25, of San Clemente has been charged with one felony count of possession and control of child pornography and three felony counts of lewd acts upon a child, federal and local authorities said in a joint statement.
Alt took pictures of the girl in sexually explicit poses, then sent them to a US Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton in Southern California in exchange for cash and gifts, according to a statement from the US Department of Homeland Security.
Alt was crowned Mrs Orange County and in 2014 competed for the Mrs California title. Those contests are aligned with the Mrs America and Mrs World pageants, and all of the competitions are for married women.
She was arrested in San Diego on Wednesday, the New York Post reported.
Her arrest resulted from an investigation by the Orange County Child Exploitation Task Force and other law enforcement agencies, officials said.
It was unclear what actions authorities might have taken against the Marine. A representative for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which was involved in the case, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
She is being held in Orange County jail on $100,000 bail. It was not immediately clear if she has obtained an attorney.
