Crime & Safety

Former Wash U Dean Of Students Sentenced For Child Porn

Justin Carroll went by "MOperv" online, and watched videos reportedly showing a dead child. He'll get a 54-month plea deal.

Justin Carroll, a former Washington University dean of students and interim athletic director, has been sentenced to federal prison for viewing child pornography. He pleaded guilty last summer to federal charges and was sentenced to 54 months as part of a plea deal. Prosecutors said he accessed pornographic photos and videos of children both at home and at his university office.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports Carroll used the handle "MOperv" when he participated in pornographic chat rooms:

Carroll was an active participant in the program’s chat room, praising a video on Nov. 20, 2015, and the user “luzifer” who had shared it, a search warrant filed last year claims. He reached out to other participants several times. On Dec. 7, 2015, he lamented the fact that he had no videos to share and on Dec. 28, 2015, he wrote “no limits here.”

On Feb. 16, 2016, Carroll and others using the program watched a video that included the apparent sexual assault of a child that authorities believe to be under the age of 1, according to court records. The child doesn’t move, and other users discuss the possibility it is a “snuff” film showing a dead child.

Carroll said in court that he had never engaged in inappropriate behavior offline and claimed that he was sexually abused as a child. Many family members, friends and colleagues served as character witnesses, providing letters to the court. Among them was Washington University Chancellor Mark Wrighton. Carroll retired from the university in February, and has no been accused of wrongdoing with students.

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