Lehigh University math teaching assistant, Chi Chon Lei, is being accused of uploading child pornography from a university-registered computer, facing felony charges of child pornography and criminal use of a communications facility.
Google alerted Pennsylvania State Police in January after discovering more than 30 images portraying sexual abuse of minors was uploaded to their server. Authorities have since matched Lei’s name, birthdate, email, address and phone number to the account being used, according to an article from Lehigh Valley Live.
The materials also matched an IP address registered under Lehigh, according to court records.
Lei was found by members of the Southeast Computers Crime Task Force early March 6 in his apartment.
Since being taken into custody, Lei has allegedly admitted to viewing and possessing this material on his personal iPhone and storing it on an external hard drive.
All of Lei’s electronic devices have been seized and sent to Pennsylvania State Police Fogelsville’s South East Computer Crime Lab for analysis.
Arraigned March 5 before District Judge Jordan A. Knisley, Lei has been sent to Northampton County Prison with bail set at $150,000.
As of March 9, Lei’s name has been removed from the list of Lehigh teaching assistants and graduate students under the department of mathematics.
Lehigh University and LUPD have yet to make an official statement on the matter.
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