Head of DC preschool arrested after directing undercover officer 'to abuse his child,' Justice Department says

The leader of a preschool in Washington, D.C., is now facing a federal charge for allegedly directing an undercover officer posing as a father "to abuse his child," the Justice Department says. 

James Carroll, who is the head of school at the National Child Research Center (NCRC) – which charges up to $42,000 annually in tuition for children ages 2 to 5 – was taken into custody on Tuesday. He was charged with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor in a case being investigated by the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, federal officials say. 

"According to the criminal complaint, between November 5, 2024 and November 14, 2024, Carroll used the Discord messaging application to communicate with an undercover officer who posed as the father of a young child," the Justice Department said in a statement. "Carroll directed the undercover officer to abuse his child over a period of approximately two weeks. Law enforcement agents identified Carroll as the Discord user based on IP addresses that traced back to both his residence and workplace." 

Federal authorities began investigating Carroll after a Discord employee reported a suspected file of child sexual abuse material that was uploaded onto the messaging app’s servers on Sept. 11, according to Fox5 DC. Investigators later determined the content came from an account linked to Carroll, the station added. 

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The National Child Research Center in Washington, D.C., where James Carroll is the head of school. (Google Maps)

During the alleged conversations with the undercover officer, Carroll asked the officer for "any new pics" as they discussed sexual abuse, Fox5 DC reported. 

The station also cited an affidavit as saying that Carroll stated he had an interest in "boy pics" with an age preference of 8 to 12 years old. 

Carroll, who made his first federal court appearance Tuesday, has now been placed on administrative leave by the school, according to a letter sent to parents by NCRC Board Chair Megan Ortiz. 

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The Justice Department says James Carroll made his first court appearance on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

"While we do not have reason to believe Mr. Carroll’s conduct involves NCRC students or families, we do understand the arrest and charging follows an FBI investigation into Mr. Carroll’s online activity on social media channels and message boards," Ortiz said in the letter, which was obtained by Fox5 DC. 

"Mr. Carroll has been instructed that he is not permitted to return to campus for any reason and is not to contact any member of the NCRC community. His access to his email, the school’s networks, and all school owned technology has been cut off," the letter reportedly added. "We are fully cooperating with the authorities and will continue to do so." 

Federal prosecutors say James Carroll "used the Discord messaging application to communicate with an undercover officer who posed as the father of a young child," prior to his arrest. (Phil Barker/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

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The school did not immediately respond Tuesday to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.