Warehouse store food demonstrator pleads guilty to child pornography charges

SEATTLE – A convicted sex offender pleaded guilty to federal child pornography charges Tuesday, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Gregory Sean O'Neall, 51, of Des Moines, Wash., admitted to possessing over 30,000 images of child pornography.

The HSI investigation revealed O'Neall posted several photo albums online, including more than 100 photos of young girls taken surreptitiously. Some of the photos were taken while the girls shopped with their families at retail stores. Prior to his arrest by HSI special agents in April, O'Neall worked as a food sample demonstrator at the Costco store in Federal Way. In some of the photos, O'Neall's food sampler station is visible.

O'Neall came to the attention of HSI special agents because of his postings to an Internet file sharing site. Investigators were able to link an IP address used to share sexually explicit images of children to O'Neall.

According to the criminal complaint filed in the case, O'Neall is a registered sex offender based upon a 1991 criminal conviction in Texas. Distribution of child pornography by someone previously convicted of a sex offense is punishable by a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to 20 years in prison.

As part of Operation Predator, HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-347-2423 or its online tip form. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or NCMEC's CyberTipLine.