ATLANTA, GA - JOSEPH BUTLER, 66, of Clarkston, Georgia, was arrested today by federal agents on charges that he collected child pornography while working at the Department of Education. BUTLER was arraigned this afternoon before a United States Magistrate Judge.

According to United States Attorney Yates, the criminal indictment, and other public information: BUTLER, a career employee with the Department of Education, used his work computer to download child pornography. BUTLER was able to defeat the filtering software used by the government to prevent employees from visiting inappropriate web sites.  In June of this year, federal agents, alerted to BUTLER’s suspicious on-line activities by network administrators, seized BUTLER’s work computer and found child pornography along with evidence of his browsing history that showed that he had frequented foreign websites that traffic in child pornography.  In July, they executed a search warrant at his home and found additional child pornography.

BUTLER has been suspended without pay pending the investigation.

Members of the public are reminded that the indictment contains only allegations.  A defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government's burden to prove the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case was investigated by Special Agents of the Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General, Technology Crimes Division.

Assistant United States Attorney Robert McBurney is prosecuting the case.

For further information please contact Sally Q. Yates, United States Attorney, or Charysse L. Alexander, Executive Assistant United States Attorney, through Patrick Crosby, Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Attorney's Office, at (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the HomePage for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia is www.justice.gov/usao/gan.

 

 

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