The former chief of staff in the D.C. mayor’s legal office was arrested this week and charged by federal authorities with distribution of child pornography, according to court documents.
A spokeswoman for Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) said Moir was fired in January after her office learned about the allegations. D.C. police and the FBI searched his residence Jan. 16. The criminal complaint was made public Wednesday.
“The allegations are absolutely reprehensible,” said Bowser’s spokeswoman, LaToya Foster. “To the best of our knowledge, none of what is alleged took place at the workplace. We have been and, if necessary, will continue working with law enforcement on this matter.”
Moir worked in the Office of Legal Counsel, which provides legal and policy advice to the mayor, her deputies and to District agencies. Moir had earned $147,000 a year, according to a city salary database.
Details of the arrest affidavit, first reported by WJLA-TV, are graphic. The case was investigated by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes detectives from D.C. police.
The affidavit says the provider of a social-network that Moir allegedly used detected possible child pornography and alerted authorities. Police said they closed in on Moir by linking his electronic computer address to various names on chat sites.
Authorities said in the affidavit that Moir participated in a chat room where pornographic images of young girls were discussed.