PlayStation exec fired after paedophile sting claim
"We are aware of the situation."
Sony has fired PlayStation Network senior vice president of engineering George Cacioppo, after a livestream which appears to show him caught in a paedophile sting.
The footage finds Cacioppo, wearing a "PS5" T-shirt, in front of his house at nighttime, apparently ready to meet the person approaching him. When a flashlight is turned on his face, he quickly returns to his house.
A description on the video claims that Cacioppo, 64, was expecting to meet a 15-year-old for sex after exchanging messages on hookup app Grindr. Cacioppo apparently used the app under the name of "Jeff", which he initially is heard to respond to in the video.
The livestream was broadcast on the amateur People v. Preds YouTube channel last Friday, 3rd December. The story was picked up by CNet yesterday, which reported Cacioppo had now been terminated.
Cacioppo had worked at PlayStation for more than eight years, since September 2013. Prior to that, he held similar positions in other tech companies such as Adobe.
"We are aware of the situation and the employee in question has been terminated from employment," a Sony spokesperson said. Cacioppo did not return a request for comment.