Prior Convicted Sex Offender From New Orleans Guilty of Possession of Child Sex Abuse Materials

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - DAVID MOREL ("MOREL"), age 42, of New Orleans, pled guilty on May 19, 2026, to Possession of Materials Involving the Sexual Exploitation of Minors, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2252(a)(4)(B) and (a)(2), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle. MOREL faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten (10) years and a maximum sentence of twenty (20) years imprisonment, a term of supervised release of no less than five (5) years and up to life, and a $100.00 mandatory special assessment fee.

According to the bill of information, beginning at an unknown time, and until on or about October 20, 2025, MOREL was found in possession of images of pre-pubescent child pornography. MOREL's home was searched by state law enforcement officials and federal agents on October 20, 2025. MOREL was arrested during the execution of the search warrant by Louisiana Bureau of Investigation agents, after they found him in possession of electronic devices containing media depicting the sexual abuse of prepubescent children. Through a partnership between state and federal authorities, the U.S. Attorney's Office adopted the state charges and is now prosecuting MOREL in federal court. MOREL is currently being held without bail in federal custody. MOREL was previously convicted in federal court by the U.S. Attorney's Office in 2016 for Possessing Materials Involving the Sexual Exploitation of Minors and was sentenced to one-hundred twenty (120) months in prison.

Sentencing in this matter is scheduled for August 25, 2026, before United States District Judge Jay C. Zainey.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorney's Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and Chief of the Financial Crimes Unit.

* * *