Last Friday, the Camden County Prosecutor’s office charged Charles Borrelli, 55, a longtime contractor with the Philadelphia Department of Human Services, with third-degree possession of child pornography after “detectives with the county’s High-Tech Crimes Unit conducted a search of Borrelli’s home on Rollingwood Drive” 1 and seized numerous digital devices from his residence.
Borrelli is the owner of Dynamic Sights, an IT consulting firm. Services offered by the company include web design, IT project management, and drone and event photography.
For the last 15 years, Borrelli has worked directly with DHS (who are responsible for the well-being of thousands of at-risk kids in Philadelphia) as a part of a team that built and maintained the IT infrastructure at DHS, including a case-management system that allows caseworkers to track children and their families.
“According to two DHS sources, Borrelli had unfettered access to databases that include personal information about the children under DHS care. Borelli has not been charged with directly harming or exploiting children, and authorities have not alleged that he made any improper use of the database information.
DHS spokesperson Alicia Taylor says that all DHS contractors who work directly with children undergo clearances in accordance with Pennsylvania’s Child Protective Services Law, but that contractors who do not work with children are not subject to the same requirements. Taylor insists that Borrelli did not have direct contact with children as part of his IT contract with them. The agency’s 2013 annual report includes a photo credited to a “Charles Borrelli” that was taken of a child at a DHS event.”2
Taylor went on to say DHS was “surprised and horrified” when they learned about the charges against Borrelli and that they are “cooperating fully with authorities.”
Borrelli has been released pending his trial.
