Secret Service officer may have texted with at least 10 minors

The government recommended Thursday in federal court that a Secret Service officer charged with sending lewd photos to a person whom he believed was a minor be detained pending his trial after new evidence shows he may have engaged in sexual conversations with minors across the United States.

Supporting documents filed Thursday by the federal government prompted the defense to request more time in adequately preparing for the detention hearing, where attorneys will argue that Moore should be released pending his trial.

Lee Robert Moore, 37, of Church Hill, Maryland, is accused of soliciting sex online from a Delaware State Police detective whom he believed was a teen in Delaware. He appeared in court Thursday in downtown Wilmington in front of Judge Sherry R. Fallon.

At the hearing, the defense said it intends to call Moore's mother, father and wife to deliver testimony as to why he should be released pending the trial.

Secret Service officer arrested in Del. child sex sting

But attorneys have not yet had adequate time to review additional court documents filed in a supporting memorandum Thursday which depict full online communication between Moore and the undercover agent, as well as photos sent by Moore to the person he believed was a teenage girl. One is a photo Moore took of himself in his work uniform, stating he was at the White House for work.

The federal government asserts is these court documents that Moore is a "danger to the community," has already obstructed the investigation and is a flight risk, and should therefore be detained in government custody. They also cite a recorded interview with Moore, in which he admitted to having conversations of a sexual nature with whom he believed to be multiple girls across the country.

"At different points in the interview, (Moore) stated that 'it could be four, it could be thirty,' before asserting that the number approximated 10 minor, teenage females," according to court documents.

Because of these explicit conversations and Moore's willingness to meet this specific user in person, the government is arguing that this information could permit them to bring additional child exploitation charges, according to court documents.

The prosecution team also alleges that Moore destroyed digital evidence of his conversations with other minors upon finding out he was the target of an investigation on November 6, according to court documents. This crime — obstruction of justice — could bring a maximum of 20 additional years in prison, if he is found guilty.

Photos also include numerous guns and weapons at Moore's home, referencing his background as a former Marine, a Secret Service firearms instructor and sharpshooter and a former competitive shooter, according to court documents.

Should Moore be released from federal custody pending his trial, he would be relegated to a series of conditions he would be required to follow. The prosecution, however, argues that it has no reason to believe Moore will comply.

"The brazen and self-absorbed nature of his conduct is simply breathtaking and certainly gives this Court no reason to trust that he will abide by any and all conditions of release that this Court could impose," the prosecution wrote in court documents. It also noted that Moore's second child was born while he was engaging in this alleged online behavior

Moore will appear in court again at 10 a.m. Dec. 2 for the continuation of the hearing, where the defense will argue why Moore should be released to a home in Maryland pending his trial.

Moore was charged in state court with sexual solicitation of a child under 18 and providing obscene material to a person under 18. He was released from state custody after posting $105,000 bail.

He also appeared Monday in U.S. District Court in Delaware on the additional federal charge of transfer of obscene material to a minor. The maximum sentence for that crime is 10 years in prison.

Though Moore posted state bail, he remains in federal custody pending the detention hearing.

Contact Brittany Horn at (302) 324-2771 or bhorn@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @brittanyhorn.