Former Health and Human Services official gets 25 years for child porn charges

A high ranking government official was sentenced Monday to 25 years in prison for his involvement in a child pornography ring.

Timothy DeFoggi was the acting director of cybersecurity at the Department of Health and Human Services. But now a federal judge ruled that he crossed over into the darker side of cyberspace, using his technical knowledge to support illegal activities.

“Using the same technological expertise he employed as Acting Director of Cybersecurity at HHS, DeFoggi attempted to sexually exploit children and traffic in child pornography through an anonymous computer network of child predators,” said Leslie Caldwell, assistant attorney general in charge of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

The court case shows that Mr. DeFoggi, 56, used a special Internet application named Tor that helps mask communication and allows users greater anonymity. While online, he solicited child pornography and communicated with other like-minded individuals, the case said.

“DeFoggi suggested meeting one member in person to fulfill their mutual fantasies to violently rape and murder children,” a statement from the Justice Department said.

Mr. DeFoggi was convicted in August and has been awaiting his sentencing since. Five other members of the online group have also been convicted and received sentences ranging from 15 to 20 years in prison.

“Today’s sentencing sends a clear message to those who advertise, distribute, possess and trade child pornography that the FBI will look for you, will find you and will make sure you are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said Thomas Metz, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Omaha office.