PlayStation executive fired after appearing in pedophile sting video

Sony Interactive Entertainment fired George Cacioppo, a senior vice president in its engineering division, after he allegedly appeared in a YouTube pedophilia sting video.

YouTube channel People vs. Preds, which streamed the encounter Friday, is a vigilante group that conducts amateur sting operations to expose alleged predators. Cacioppo is accused of inviting a 15-year-old boy over for sex over Grindr and text messages, according to People vs. Preds. Sony told CNET Sunday that Cacioppo had been “terminated from employment.”

Cacioppo worked at Sony on its PlayStation Network, according to his LinkedIn profile. He’d been with the company for more than eight years before his termination. People vs. Preds’ video shows a cameraperson approaching a home in the dark, with Cacioppo, wearing a PlayStation 5 T-shirt, reportedly standing outside. When the cameraperson confronts the man, he walks back into the house and shuts the door. People vs. Preds also published chat logs wherein Cacioppo appears to inviting a person, pretending to be a 15-year-old, over for sexual acts.

A People vs. Preds representative told Kotaku that it turned over evidence to police after posting the video publicly. “The police department doesn’t work with ‘Cyber groups’ like us,” the representative said. “That’s when the internet takes over.”

Sony has not responded to Polygon’s request for comment.