A senior vice president of engineering at Sony Interactive Entertainment, George Cacioppo, has reportedly been fired after allegedly appearing in a pedophilia sting operation's video. Sony Interactive Entertainment is the division of Sony responsible for producing the PlayStation video game console. Sony's current generation console, the PlayStation 5 was released just over a year ago.
As well as hardware, Sony has also seen success with the PlayStation Network, a digital service available for PlayStation console users. PSN includes the PlayStation digital storefront from which users can purchase games, and is also where players can access their PlayStation Plus and PS Now subscriptions. PS Plus is a service that includes gaming-related perks, such as early access titles, online gameplay, discounted or free games, and more, while PS Now is a streaming service that includes access to a host of PlayStation games both new and old. For the last eight years, Cacioppo acted as a senior vice president of engineering for Sony with a specific focus on the PlayStation Network, and has also worked at other major tech industry companies in the past, including Intuit and Adobe.
As reported by CNET, Sony fired Cacioppo after it was alleged he appeared in a pedophilia sting video uploaded by the YouTube channel People v. Preds. The cyber vigilante group claims to have impersonated a 15-year-old boy to make contact with the individual in the video, believed to be Cacioppo, who reportedly offered to meet with the decoy to engage in sexual acts. The video shows what appears to be the now ex-vice-president standing outside of his house in a PlayStation 5 shirt, waiting to meet with who he thought would be the 15-year-old. After reaching out to Sony for comment, a representative reportedly told CNET: "We are aware of the situation and the employee in question has been terminated from employment."
While Sony's statement to the publication acknowledges the situation, the company has not officially confirmed whether the individual in the video is Cacioppo. People v. Preds maintains that the person seen in the video is the Sony employee, who they claim to have made contact with through the Grindr dating app. According to People v. Preds, Cacioppo reportedly used a pseudonym during their communications. PlayStation is currently facing other internal company issues, with a former Sony employee's recent lawsuit filing claiming gender discrimination and wrongful termination based on gender.
At this stage, it is unclear whether local authorities are aware of the allegations and the parties involved, and whether or not any legal action may be taken, but the situation's prevalence across social media makes it very possible. The YouTube video from People v. Preds has now amassed over 100,000 views, with countless more views, comments, and reactions shared across other social media platforms. Sony's statement demonstrates it has acted on the allegations made against Cacioppo, and an official announcement disclosing further details on the situation may come from the PlayStation parent company in the coming days.
Source: CNET, People v. Preds