A former University of Georgia professor accused of having more than 450 images of child pornography on his work laptop pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court, prosecutors said.
James Edward Monogan III, 39, resigned from his position as a political science professor in November 2019 after becoming the target of a lengthy child porn investigation, university officials said.
That investigation began after authorities received information that Monogan distributed child porn to users over the KIK messenger application, federal prosecutors said in a news release. Authorities said he shared the images from the accounts “utbballplaya03″ and “texan21225053,” which both belonged to him.
On Sept. 5, 2019, Homeland Security Investigation, GBI agents and Athens police conducted a search of the professor’s Athens home and seized several of his electronic devices. Monogan’s UGA office was also searched. A forensic review of those devices turned up 452 photos and eight videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children on his university laptop, and another 119 child porn photos on his cellphone, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia.
Some of those images involved children younger than 12, authorities said.
“Monogan actively participated in the evil world of child pornography and brazenly engaged in his criminal behavior using a computer belonging to his employer,” acting U.S. Attorney Peter Leary said in a statement. “He will spend many years inside a federal prison for his crime.”
Monogan pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child porn, authorities said. He faces two decades behind bars, a $250,000 fine and a lifetime of supervised release once his sentence is completed. His sentencing hearing has not been scheduled.
“This investigation demonstrates that no matter who you are, you will be held accountable for preying on children,” GBI Director Vic Reynolds said Tuesday. “We value our law enforcement partnerships to be able to work together in these type investigations to catch and punish criminals who seek to exploit one of our most vulnerable populations.”
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