Former University of Georgia professor pleads guilty to having child porn on work laptop
A former University of Georgia professor accused of hoarding hundreds of child pornography images on his work laptop and other devices pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday, prosecutors said.
James Monogan III faces up to 20 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography, the U.S Attorney’s Office for Georgia’s Central District announced in a news release.
The ex-political science professor also faces a $250,000 fine and must register as a sex offender once his sentence is complete, authorities said.
“This investigation demonstrates that no matter who you are, you will be held accountable for preying on children,” Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Vic Reynolds said in a statement. “We value our law enforcement partnerships to be able to ... catch and punish criminals who seek to exploit one of our most vulnerable populations.”
Monogan resigned from the university in 2019 after becoming the subject of an investigation launched by the Department of Homeland Security, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. A UGA spokesperson also confirmed Monogan had been “relieved of his duties” and barred from campus.
The investigation began after federal authorities received complaints that child porn was being distributed to users via the Kik Messenger app, according to prosecutors. The images were shared from account usernames “texan21225053” and “utbballplaya03” — both of which authorities say belonged to Monogan.
Homeland Security investigators, with help from the GBI and Athens-Clarke County police, raided the professor’s home in September 2019 and seized his electronic devices. His office on the UGA campus was also searched, according to a news release.
A sweep of his work-issued laptop turned up 452 child porn images and eight videos depicting “child sexual exploitation,” authorities said. Nearly 120 similar photos were found on Monogan’s cellphone.
Prosecutors said the images involved victims younger than 12.
“Monogan actively participated in the evil world of child pornography and brazenly engaged in his criminal behavior using a computer belonging to his employer,” Acting U.S. Attorney Peter Leary said in a statement. “He will spend many years inside a federal prison for his crime.”
The guilty plea comes months after a grand jury indicted Monogan on several charges, including receipt and distribution of child porn and criminal forfeiture, court documents show. He later admitted he “knowingly possessed” material that contained child pornography, prosecutors said.
The date for a sentencing hearing hasn’t been set.