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John Cargnello, owner of the Step Into Life franchise chain, has appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates Court today accused of possessing images of child pornography.

Victoria Police have charged Cargnello with possession of image or movie files which depict a person who is under the age of 18 years engaging in sexual activity.

According to a report in The Age, the Court heard that the charges against Cargnello resulted from "offending material" on a computer accessed by the Victoria Police's e-crime group.

Given the volume of material seized, Victoria Police estimated it may take 12 months to analyse it all.

Cargnello was granted bail while the case was remanded to the Court for a contested committal hearing in August.

Cargnello is understood to have been a Step Into Life franchisee who became sole Director and shareholder of the franchise afyer acquiring it from co-founder Larry Cohen in April 2018.

At its peak, the pioneering outdoor fitness franchise operated 165 franchises in Australia and four in New Zealand but franchise numbers have since dropped significantly, with The Age reporting that around 50 locations currently listed on Step Into Life's website.

The Age quoted Darren Farrell, General Manager of Step Into Life Australia, as advisining that he had assumed the activities which were previously the responsibility of Cargnello.

He stated "in the interests of franchisees and of Step into Life, Mr Cargnello has removed himself from all activities and administration.

"Nor is Mr Cargnello drawing any income from Step into Life. This will remain in place until the matter is resolved."

Farrell said Cargnello maintained his innocence, adding "we are confident that the police forensic investigation, when it is released, will bear this out.

"We are unable to comment further while the matter is before the Court."

Image: John Cargnello at the 2018 Step Into Life conference. Courtesy of Step into Life/Facebook.

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