Columbia Man, 54, Indicted for Soliciting Minor for Sex

A Columbia man employed by the U.S. Department of Justice has been indicted for traveling across state lines to have sex with a minor, according to federal officials.

James Cicala, 54, was arrested this week for interstate travel with the intent to engage in a sexual act with a minor, the U.S. Department of Justice reported.

The investigation that led authorities to Cicala began on the Eastern Shore over the summer, according to the report.

In late July, a Worcester County Sheriff’s Office detective posed as a 15-year-old girl online upon coming across an ad entitled “Daddy’s Little Girl” while investigating internet child solicitation, the report said.

The detective exchanged messages with a man who called himself “Daddy,” claimed he was in his late 40s and said he was looking to meet a girl for a “Daddy/Daughter Relationship,” according to the report.

They agreed to meet “to engage in sexually explicit conduct” on Aug. 15, and after Cicala traveled from his Delaware beach house to Berlin, Md., he found law enforcement waiting for him instead, according to the report.

He was arrested in front of the Berlin Wal-Mart, according to WMDT.

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Investigators say they determined Cicala’s phone number was registered to the U.S. Department of Justice, where he is an IT professional.

The U.S. Department of Justice said Cicala was placed on administrative leave as of Aug. 17, and the department has secured all electronic devices assigned to him.

Investigators say he used his work-issued phone and computer, sometimes during business hours, to have conversations with the individual he thought was a child.

If convicted, Cicala faces up to 30 years in jail.