by Ronald K. Fitten
Seattte Times staff reporter
Four men, including two former Microsoft employees, have been barged
with allegedly using computers to
access child pornography on the Internet, said King County ProsPrecutor
Norm Maleng.
Traditional law-enforcement efforts against child pornography have
focused on magazines, movies, and
tangible materials," Maleng said yes terday: "'But law enforcement faces
new challenges with the emergence
new technology'". The Internet, with its millions of international web
sites has become the new under round
highway for illegal child porgraphy."
The' two former Microsoft engi- neers, Michael Seaman, 37, of
Kirkland, and Ronald Rosul Jr., 31, of
Seattle. allegedly used Microsoft cornputers to access and copy child
pornography from the Internet, ac-
cording to prosecutors.
Prosecutors said both were fired after Microsoft discovered the al-
leged crimes in October 1995. Seaman is
charged with posses- of child pornography. He alleg- edly used his
Microsoft computer to collect more than
2,500 files of photo- gaphs 'of young children in sexual poses or being
sexually abused. Rosul also is charged
with posses- ion of child pornography. He alleg- edly used Microsoft
equipment to manufracture a CD-ROM
disk con- collection including child pornography.
Both Seaman and Rosul will be arained next week in King County
Superior Court. If convicted, both could
receive up to one year in jail.
Maleng, who said police and pros- ecutors worked cooperatively with
Microsoft throughout the investiga-
tion, said law-enforcement officers had confiscated computer hard drives,
CD-ROMs and printed materials as
evidence.
Microsoft spokesman Mark Murray said the company found out about the
activities of its two former em-
ployees last year and alerted police. "We provided the police with
the computers to pull up the evidence,"
Murray said.
In an unrelated case, William D. Powell, 52, of Renton, and Dwight
Hunter, 48, of Bellerue, are charged
with possession of and dealing in child pornography.
PoweII, an unemployed engineer, is accused of using his home comput-
er to exchange child pornography
with Hunter.
If convicted of both offenses, Powell, who has a warrant out for his
arrest after hiling to appear at his,
arraignment three weeks ago, could receive between 21 to 27. months in
prison.
Hunter, an unemployed sales man, is accused of using his computer to
exchange child pornography with
Powell and of having photo- graphs in his computer disks of children
engaged in several types of - sexual
activities with adults, other children and a dog.
Hunter will be arraigned next week. If convicted, he could receive
almost three years in prison.
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