A Former Federal Cybersecurity Director Was Just Convicted On Child Pornography Charges

Getty/Alex WongU.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.

A former acting director of cyber security at the Department of Health and Human Services was convicted on federal child pornography charges on Tuesday, according to the Department of Justice.

The details of the evidence presented against Timothy DeFoggi, the former acting director, are gruesome and include an apparent plot to enact some of his violent "fantasies" in the real world.

Federal prosecutors said DeFoggi was arrested as part of an investigation into three child pornography websites the FBI shut down in 2012. DeFoggi registered as a member of at least one of these websites and "solicited child pornography from other members, and exchanged private messages with other members where he expressed an interest in the violent rape and murder of children."

He "even suggested meeting one member in person to fulfill their mutual fantasies to violently rape and murder children."

It was not immediately clear to what extent DeFoggi's participation in the websites overlapped with his work at the Health Department. However, a government document detailing funding estimates for the 2014 fiscal year listed a "Tim Defoggi" as the head of "OS IT Security Operations" and indicated he reported directly to the department's chief information security officer.

DeFoggi's sentencing is scheduled for November.