Md. DOJ employee indicted on child sex charges in Worcester County
A Maryland man has been indicted, after Police say he drove from his beach house to Worcester County, to take part in sexual acts with a minor. The Worcester County Sheriff’s Office says an indictment was returned by a federal grand jury on October 8, charging 54-year-old James Cicala with interstate travel with the intent to engage in a sexual act with a minor.
According to the indictment, an investigation started on July 21, after an undercover detective with the Sheriff’s Office responded to an ad titled “Daddy’s Little Girl,” stating that the poster was looking to meet someone for a “Daddy/Daughter Relationship.” The Sheriff’s Office says the Detective identified himself as a juvenile female, while the poster identified himself as a man in his late 40s. Numerous conversations reportedly followed, during which the poster referred to himself as “Daddy.”
On August 15, The Sheriff’s Office says they worked to identify the phone number of the poster, who was later identified as Cicala, and found that it belonged to the Department of Justice. That same day, Investigators say Cicala drove from his beach house in Delaware, to meet a 15-year-old girl in Worcester County, for reported sexually explicit conduct, and was arrested at the pre-determined location. Cicala reportedly used his DOJ-issued phone or work computer, sometimes during work hours, for many of the conversations that he had with the undercover officer.
Two days after his arrest, Cicala was placed on administrative leave by the Department of Justice, where he worked in IT. All electronic devices assigned to him from the DOJ were reportedly seized. Cicala now faces a maximum of 30 years in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release for the traveling interstate to have sex with a minor charge. He is scheduled to be in court in Baltimore on Friday, at 3:15 PM.
