A finalist from last fall’s Top Chef “Just Desserts” television series has been indicted on child pornography charges in Texas.
Morgan Wilson, 38, of Plano, is facing three second degree felony charges of possession with intent to promote child pornography. He was arrested Dec. 7, 2010 in the wake of an investigation that alleges Wilson transmitted files, to an undercover officer, that contained sexually explicit images and video of children as young as toddlers, the Plano Courier Star reported this week.
Wilson was a controversial figure on the Top Chef series who was frequently hot tempered and “prone to angry outbursts,” People.com reported.
The Plano newspaper noted Wilson is listed on the Dallas Ritz Carlton’s website as executive pastry chef at the hotel’s Lobby Lounge. The hotel declined to comment on Wilson’s employment status when asked this week by the Plano Courier Star and People.
The indictment alleges Wilson transferred three images to the detective using the LimeWire file sharing service. The transfer was then tracked back to Wilson’s IP address, according to an affidavit filed by the Plano Police Department.
The Plano newspaper said the affidavit also contained a police statement that Wilson admitted to viewing the material in question and signed and dated the images to indicate the agreement with police. A Macintosh laptop and external hard drive were taken from his residence.
Wilson spent nine days in jail last December following his arrest. He was released on a $10,000 bond and ordered to not use any computer without monitoring software, the Plano Courier Star reported.
The chef is scheduled to appear before in a Collin County court Oct. 27, according to People.com.
Wilson’s biography, posted on the Bravo TV website, indicates he is originally from Sonora, California. He helped open Bijou, in Dallas, and his career has included other gigs in Brazil and at the Essex Supper Club and EOS Restaurant & Wine Bar, in San Francisco. He studied at the California Culinary Academy and at Le Cordon Bleu, in Paris. At one time, Wilson also taught pastry at the California School of Culinary Arts, in Pasadena, according to the Bravo information.
Landon Freedman is a working-class foodie who enjoys simple, affordable, meals that still “Wow” the senses. When he isn’t writing or preparing a favorite dish, Landon can often be found doing stock trading, UFX Markets Trading, or reading stock news.
Originally posted on October 27, 2011 @ 9:02 am
