Federal employee indicted for receiving child pornography

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned an indictment Thursday against a federal Department of Transportation employee charging him with receipt of child pornography, following a probe by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Department of Transportation’s Office of the Inspector General

Eric Worrell, 57, of Rancho Cordova, has been in federal custody since his arrest March 19. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh F. Sigal is prosecuting the case.

According to court documents, a thumb drive found in a hallway outside the federal Department of Transportation offices in Sacramento was turned over to investigators, who determined it belonged to Worrell. A forensic review of the thumb drive and Worrell’s work laptop resulted in the discovery of hundreds of images of child erotica and child pornography.

If convicted, Worrell faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This investigation was conducted under the auspices of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood and HSI’s Operation Predator, two initiatives aimed at locating, arresting and prosecuting individuals who sexually exploit children and rescuing their victims.

Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 12,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST. For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.