US Secret Service officer charged with possession and distribution of child pornography

DENTON, Md. - A U.S. Secret Service officer has been arrested and faces charges of possession and distribution of child pornography.

Authorities say 52-year-old Jeffrey Litteral of Denton, Md. was arrested on a warrant at about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Officials say the investigation began in 2017 when a Maryland State Police Criminal Enforcement Division investigator received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about possible child pornography uploaded online.

Investigators say they identified Litteral as their suspect and obtained a search warrant for his home. Authorities say they recovered electronic equipment from the home that will be forensically examined.

"These allegations, if proven true, are intolerable and are condemned by the Secret Service," the agency said in a statement. The agency said Litteral's security clearance has been suspended and he has been placed on administrative leave. They say all Secret Service issued equipment has been retrieved and access to all Secret Service facilities has been terminated.

Officials told FOX 5 that Litteral was a uniformed division officer in Washington D.C. He is charged with possession of child pornography, distribution of child pornography, possession of obscene material, and distribution of obscene material.