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U.S. NEWSTuesday 17 November 2015
Secret Service officer appears in court in sexting case
RANDALL CHASE This booking photo shows Lee Robert Moore. Federal authorities Moore to be released on which a man armed with
Associated Press say Moore, a Secret Service agent from Maryland, sent obscene bond in state court. Court a knife was able to scale a
WILMINGTON, Delaware images and texts to someone he thought was a young Dela- records also show that White House fence and run
(AP) — A Secret Service of- ware girl, sometimes doing it while on duty at the White House. Moore and his wife were deep into the executive
ficer charged with trying to the subjects of debt collec- mansion.
solicit a 14-year-old girl for (Delaware Department of Justice via AP) tion actions in Maryland in According to a federal
sex made an initial appear- 2006 and again in 2008. complaint unsealed last
ance Monday in federal “I’m satisfied that you sexual solicitation of a child Fallon scheduled a pre- week, Moore often en-
court, where he was told qualify for court-appointed under 18 and providing ob- liminary hearing for Thurs- gaged in online chats while
he could face 10 years in counsel,” Fallon told Moore, scene material to a minor. day, at which time she will on duty at the White House,
prison if convicted of trying who posted $105,000 se- A bail agent said last week consider a motion by fed- once asking an undercov-
to transfer obscene mate- cured bond last week on that a third party paid eral prosecutors to detain er officer who he thought
rial to a minor. separate state charges of the $10,500 that allowed Moore pending trial. was a 14-year-old girl to
The hearing was held just Moore’s public defenders send him something “excit-
hours after Lee Robert declined to comment on ing” on a day when he was
Moore, 37, was released the case. checking IDs for a building
from a Delaware state pris- Moore surrendered to au- entrance and complained
on into the custody of U.S. thorities in Maryland on that “work sucks today.”
Marshals. Nov. 9 after being caught The Secret Service issued a
Moore appeared in court in an undercover online sex statement saying Moore’s
wearing blue jeans, sneak- sting by Delaware State Po- security clearance was sus-
ers and a long-sleeve shirt lice. pended Nov. 6, the same
commemorating the 2001 His arrest brings new scru- day the matter was report-
Army-Navy football game. tiny to a federal agency al- ed to its Office of Profes-
He nodded and smiled at ready reeling from a series sional Responsibility.
his parents and wife, who of scandals stretching back Delaware State Police De-
was holding the couple’s to 2012, when more than a tective Kevin McKay said
infant son, as they walked dozen agents and officers in an affidavit that Moore
into the courtroom. The were implicated in hiring connected with him using
judge later agreed to de- prostitutes during a South two social media applica-
lay the hearing for about American presidential trip. tions while McKay was pos-
15 minutes while Moore’s Since then, multiple agents ing online as a 14-year-old
wife tended to the baby. and officers have been girl.
Magistrate Judge Sherry accused of wrongdoing. “He stated he wanted to
Fallon agreed to appoint Former agency director Ju- travel to Delaware and
a federal public defender lia Pierson was ousted last meet in person for sex.
to represent Moore, based year after the disclosure Moore made it clear that
on a financial affidavit he of two security breaches, he knew I was a 14 yr old
submitted to the court. including an incident in girl,” McKay wrote.q
Trump says he would consider closing certain mosques
JILL COLVIN how they would respond to “Surveillance took a big of talk is going on at the and prayed, infiltrated Mus-
Associated Press last week’s attacks, which turn over the last 48 hours,” mosques,” said Trump, who lim student groups, put in-
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Re- killed 129 people and left he added. “Forty-eight complained that New York formants in mosques and
publican presidential can- hundreds wounded. hours ago everybody was City, where he lives, has monitored sermons.
didate Donald Trump says Trump, who has been push- saying, ‘Well we want our ramped down its efforts to The NYPD, under Mayor Bill
he would consider clos- ing for a more aggressive freedoms, we don’t want infiltrate places of Muslim de Blasio, announced it
ing U.S. mosques with radi- response, also said Ameri- this to happen.’ And now, worship. had abandoned the pro-
cal leadership because of cans must reassess some all of sudden, people are Trump appeared to be gram in April of last year fol-
the Paris attacks if he were of their civil liberties in re- saying, ‘Hey listen, you can referring to the New York lowing lawsuits and com-
elected president. sponse to growing threats listen to my phone conver- Police Department’s De- plaints.
“I would hate to do it, but from the Islamic State sations.’” mographics Unit, which The Trump told a weekend ral-
it’s something that you’re group. That surveillance, he ar- Associated Press reported ly that things would have
going to have to strongly “We have to be much gued, should include intel- in 2011 was spying on Mus- turned out differently in
consider,” Trump told MS- tougher,” he said in anoth- ligence-gathering in and lims and mosques around Paris had the victims of the
NBC in a telephone phone er interview on CNBC. “We around mosques. the city with help from the attacks been armed with
interview Monday. are going to have to give “Well you’re going to have CIA. The group assembled guns. He repeated that as-
Trump and his rivals have up certain privileges that to watch and study the databases on where Mus- sertion in the CNBC phone
been working to articulate we’ve always had.” mosques because a lot lims lived, shopped, worked interview.q
