Sony confirmed it has terminated a senior PlayStation executive who showed up in a pedophile sting video organized by a citizen YouTube channel. Senior vice president of engineering, George Cacioppo, was rapidly fired from the company after allegedly appearing in a video that was organized by YouTube channel People v. Preds.
“We are aware of the situation and the employee in question has been terminated from employment,” Sony stated in an emailed statement to CNET.
According to the video, a decoy claiming to be a 15-year-old boy met with Cacioppo through Grindr, exchanging pictures and discussing sexual acts. Cacioppo alleged his name was “Jeff” and gave his address, which is where the sting took place. A cameraman confronted a man who looks to be Cacioppo, who’s wearing a PS5 t‑shirt. The man walked back into the house and closed the door without answering any questions. People v. Preds states it sent its evidence to the San Diego District Attorney.
According to Cacioppo’s LinkedIn profile, he’s been the senior VP of engineering at Sony (working on the PlayStation Network) for the past eight years.