New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child Pornography

U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced that DAVID MOREL, age 32, of New Orleans, pled guilty today for crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children.

According to court records, on June 25, 2015, MOREL was charged as a result of a child exploitation investigation conducted by the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office Cyber Crime Unit (“LAGO”) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”).   HSI and LAGO agents executed a search warrant at MOREL’s residence after determining MOREL was downloading images depicting the sexual victimization of children.  MOREL was arrested during the execution of the search warrant after confessing to downloading and possessing images and videos depicting child pornography.  HSI computer forensic examiners conducted a search of MOREL’s seized computer equipment and located over 2,500 images and videos depicting the sexual victimization of children on MOREL’s electronic devices.

According to a Notice of Sentence Enhancement filed in federal court records, in 2010, MOREL was convicted in Orleans Parish Criminal Court of 536 counts of possession of pornography involving juveniles.  He received a ten year suspended sentence and, instead, was placed on home incarceration for a period of five years.

MOREL faces a mandatory minimum penalty of ten years and a maximum penalty of twenty years, followed by up to a life term of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.  U.S. District Court Judge Martin L.C. Feldman set sentencing for December 9, 2015.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."

U.S. Attorney Polite praised the work of the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office Cyber Crime Unit and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-HSI in investigating this matter.  The prosecution of this case is being handled by Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and Fraud Unit Chief, Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba.