A former Georgia State University professor and associate dean pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography, U.S. Department of Justice officials announced Friday.
Federal investigators said the former faculty member, Daniel Deocampo, 48, of Avondale Estates, used the university’s computer network to access several thousand images and videos of children as young as five years old engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Georgia State University’s Cyber Security Department alerted the FBI about a year ago that an employee was accessing websites which appeared to contain child pornography. The two agencies began a joint investigation. The FBI executed search warrants at Deocampo’s home, as well as his Georgia State office and lab space. Agents said they recovered an Apple laptop belonging to Deocampo that contained more than 4,000 files of child pornography, including approximately 190 videos.
“Deocampo was caught brazenly using the university network to exploit children,” said acting U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine. “It is disturbing when we learn that an educator engages in this type of disgusting behavior. Possessing child pornography victimizes and abuses the children in the images each time they are disseminated.”
Deocampo was indicted in mid-September, online court documents show. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has left messages for an attorney listed in online court documents representing Deocampo.
Deocampo’s sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 23.
Deocampo began working at Georgia State in 2008 as an assistant professor in geosciences, according to his LinkedIn page. He was the associate dean for Research, Innovation, and Graduate Studies, the page said. Deocampo resigned Oct. 1 from the university, a Georgia State spokeswoman said. The university declined further comment.
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