PlayStation VP Fired Following Appearance on Pedophilia Sting Operation

Generally speaking, it takes a lot to get the boot as a high level executive in the game industry. With the far-too-many instances of rampant abuse and harassment reports that go unpunished, that much is clear to see. But even so, theres a line, one that PlayStation VP of Engineering crossed: alleged pedophilia. The Sony exec was recently fired after an amateur sting operation revealed him engaging with a 15-year-old boy online.

Theres a bit to unpack here. Let's start with the source of all this.

Theres a YouTube channel called People v. Preds, which is based on catching sexual predators online by posing as underage children. They recently posted a video where Sony VP of Engineering George Cacioppo (age 64) was supposedly revealed to have engaged with the channel, believing them to be a 15-year-old boy. The channel also released chat logs, allegedly showing Cacioppo to have engaged in sexually explicit conversation with the boy. Cacioppo allegedly found the connection on Grindr while posing as a man named Jeff.

The channel claims, in the video, to have informed the police of his behavior, but no statement by the San Diego Police Department has been provided.

Sony has responded to the controversy, however, telling CNET that they are aware of the situation and the employee in question has been terminated from employment.

Its safe to say this is likely the last we will see of Cacioppo in the game industry. Even if he isnt convicted of anything, or even proven innocent, things like this can follow someone their entire life. And no company is going to want to admit to hiring a pedophile. Theres something to be said about the vigilante nature of amateur sting operations, but we are by no means an authority on such topics, and will leave it at that.