D.C. law professor named in child exploitation charges

An attorney and adjunct lecturer at George Washington University Law School was arrested in Washington on Thursday by agents at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) in Tampa, Fla., charged with six counts of child sexual exploitation.

Richard D. Lieberman, 64, of Washington, D.C., was charged by the State Attorney's Office in Florida with two counts of receiving online statements for the purpose of sexual conduct with a child, two counts of using the computer to seduce a child, one count of transmitting harmful material to minors and one count of lewd or lascivious battery.

According to the charges, between Aug. 11 and Aug. 25, 2010, Mr. Lieberman used the Internet to sexually entice those he believed were two different girls under the age of 16 years. In fact, the charges said, he was engaging in online conversations with two undercover agents in Florida posing as 10 and 13-year-old girls.

Mr. Lieberman is accused of sending the “13-year-old girl” an image of a naked man, engaging in a sexually explicit conversation with the “10-year-old girl” and sending her website links to images of male and female genitalia.

“All children have an absolute right to grow up free from the fear of sexual exploitation,” said Special-Agent-in-Charge Susan McCormick, who heads ICE’s Tampa field office. “ICE will continue to police cyber space to investigate predators and ensure that they feel the full weight of the law.”

Agents and officers with the Maryland State Police, Florida Office of the Attorney General, U.S. Marshal’s Service and ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations Division in Maryland and Virginia participated in the arrest. An undercover officer with the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office, Fla., participated in the investigation leading to the arrest.

The investigation is part of “Operation Predator,” a nationwide ICE initiative to identify, investigate and arrest those who prey on children, including human traffickers, international sex tourists, Internet pornographers, and foreign-national predators whose crimes make them deportable.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney Victoria J. Avalon for Polk County, Fla. 

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