A high-ranking California prosecutor has been arrested and charged with possession of child pornography after a months-long investigation identified him as a suspect.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reports Deputy Attorney General Raymond Joseph Liddy, 53, was arrested Tuesday at his home in Coronado. An investigation was launched in January after Liddy’s Internet service provider notified the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that a user had uploaded what appeared to be child pornography. The San Diego Internet Crimes Against Children task force then traced the images — which according to court records show children under age 12 engaging in sexual acts — to a home in Coronado.
According to FBI and task force agents, Liddy admitted to sharing sexual fantasies online, as well as to downloading pornographic images that he deleted. He also said he may have shared some of the material before deleting it. Liddy said that while most of the images were of adults, some of them may have shown children. One image allegedly linked to Liddy showed a naked, bound and blindfolded young girl.
Liddy, who is a Republican, is married with children. He has been a prosecutor since 2008, specializing in health care fraud and elder abuse cases. He is a Marine Corps combat veteran who participated in the 1989 invasion of Panama, as well as the 1991 and 2003 invasions of Iraq. He is also the son of convicted Watergate conspirator G. Gordon Liddy.
According to court records, Liddy was released from jail on a $100,000 bond and placed under house arrest with GPS monitoring. He is due in court for a preliminary hearing on August 8.