The Hazards of Reading Naughty Newsgroups at Work

[anonymous-remailer@shell.portal.com]

The following interesting article appeared on page 6 of the
August 3, 1996 Seattle Times.

  County Accuses Four of Using the Internet to Access Child Porn
  --------------------------------------------------------------

By Ronald K. Fitten
Seattle Times Staff Reporter

Four men, including two former Microsoft employees, have been charged
with allegedly using computers to access child pornography on the
Internet, said King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng.

"Traditional law-enforcement efforts against child pornography have
focused on magazines, movies, and tangible materials," Maleng said
yesterday.  "But law enforcement faces new challenges with the
emergence of new technology.  The Internet, with its millions of
international web sites, has become the new underground highway for
illegal child pornography."

The two former Microsoft engineers, Michael Seaman, 37, of Kirkland,
and Ronald Rosul Jr., 31, of Seattle, allegedly used Microsoft
computers to access and copy child pornography from the Internet,
according to prosecutors.

Microsoft said both were fired after Microsoft discovered the alleged
crimes in October 1995.

Seaman is charged with possession of child pornography.  He allegedly
used his Microsoft computer to collect more than 2,500 files of
photographs of young children in sexual poses or being sexually
abused.

Rosul is also charged with possession of child pornography.  He
allegedly used Microsoft equipment to manufacture a CD-ROM disk
containing child pornography.

Both Seaman and Rosul will be arraigned next week in King County
Superior Court.  If convicted, both could receive up to one year in
jail.

Maleng, who said police and prosecutors worked cooperatively with
Microsoft throughout the investigation, said law-enforcement officers
had confiscated computer hard drives, CD-ROMs, and printed materials
as evidence.

Microsoft spokesman Mark Murray said the company found out about the
activities of its two former employees last year and alerted police.

"We provided the police with the computers to pull up the evidence,"
Murray said.

In an unrelated case, William D. Powell, 52, or Renton, and Dwight
Hunter, 48, of Bellevue, are charged with possession of and dealing in
child pornography.

Powell, an unemployed engineer, is accused of using his home computer
to exchange child pornography with Hunter.

If convicted of both offenses, Powell, who has a warrant out for his
arrest after failing to appear at his arraignment three weeks ago,
could be sentenced to between 21 and 27 months in prison.

Hunter, an unemployed salesman, is accused of using his home computer
to exchange child pornography with Powell and of having photographs in
his computer disks of children engaged in several types of sexual
activities with adults, other children, and a dog.

Hunter will be arraigned next week.  If convicted, he could receive
almost three years in prison.