Earlier today, a viral video appeared online implicating a senior Sony executive for allegedly trying to meet with a 15-year-old boy. George Cacioppo, the Senior Vice President Engineering on PlayStation Network, has worked at Sony Interactive Entertainment since September 2013, but this video has led to immediate termination by Sony.
YouTube channel People v. Preds posted the video earlier today, with screenshots, messages, and pictures that were supposedly shared between Cacioppo and who he believed to be a 15-year old boy also accompanying the video. People v. Preds had used a decoy in this meeting, pretending to be the boy that Cacioppo was supposedly trying to meet. Sony reacted swiftly to this video, terminating Cacioppo shortly after it appeared online. In an email statement, Sony stated that it was aware of the situation and “the employee in question has been terminated from employment.”
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The video depicts a cameraman approaching Cacioppo, who was using the name “Jeff” for this planned meeting. Cacioppo, who is 64-years-old, can be seen answering the door in a PS5 T-shirt. In the video, Cacioppo walks back into the house, closes the door, and refuses to answer any questions from the cameraman, who proceeds to yell that he would call the cops on Cacioppo.
Allegedly, Cacioppo—reportedly as “Jeff”—was communicating with the decoy pretending to be a young boy on the website Grindr. The two exchanged pictures and planned to meet up for an inappropriate sexual relationship. The decoy said he would use an Uber to meet him, and Cacioppo was allegedly waiting for him.
Outside of the aforementioned statement from Sony, there has not been much officially said regarding the situation. Neither Cacioppo nor the San Diego Police Department (as this is where the alleged events take place) have commented on the matter, and it’s unclear if the SDPD were called.
Before working at Sony and with PSN, Cacioppo has a long history in and outside the gaming and tech industry. According to his Linkedin Profile, Cacioppo has worked in the engineering industry since 1978, including Hazeltine Industrial Products Division, Digital Equipment Corporation, Adobe, PalmSource Holding Co, Intuit, and since 2013, Sony.
As the situation develops, those following should keep an eye for future acknowledgments and statements from those at Sony and PlayStation. Many likely appreciate Sony's swift action on the matter, and it's likely new developments crop up in the coming weeks if not days.
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Source: People v. Preds [1] [2], CNET
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Lynda73 on December 7th, 2021 at 10:55 UTC »
‘Inappropriate meeting’? 😑
TrazorTT on December 6th, 2021 at 23:40 UTC »
Fuck that guy
Songe_20 on December 6th, 2021 at 22:48 UTC »
Activision just look around what have you done!