The deputy press secretary for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has been arrested on charges he used the Internet to try to seduce a child. Authorities say Brian Doyle of Silver Spring, Maryland was arrested at his home Tuesday on 23 charges related to the use of a computer to seduce a child and transmit harmful material to a minor. The charges were issued out of Polk County, Florida, where investigators say Doyle contacted a person he thought was a 14-year-old girl whose profile was posted on the Internet. They say Doyle first initiated a sexually explicit conversation with her on March 12th.
Authorities said in a statement that Doyle told the decoy who he was and gave her his office telephone number and government-issued cell phone number. They allege he sent her hard-core pornographic movie clips via the Internet.
A Homeland Security department official tells the Associated Press the agency takes the allegations very seriously and will cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation.