Jackson Memorial employee Thomas Mahon of Miami, Florida was arrested on August 15 after he repeatedly attempted to view child pornography on a hospital computer.
Mahon, 61, faces charges for attempting to transmit child pornography and has reportedly posted bail. It is unclear if he has obtained legal representation.
According to the police report, the alleged searches were performed at Jackson Memorial Hospital in January last year. Mahon allegedly searched for child pornography on a hospital computer using the credentials of another employee who had neglected to log off his work account. His searches were blocked by the hospital’s internal computer security systems.
Hospital security checked surveillance footage and discovered that Mahon was the only person in the room after another employee had left without logging off his account. The hospital informed police about the incident and they conducted their own investigation before arresting Mahon this week.
In a statement to the press the hospital said its “robust IT security system” had identified a “rogue employee” last January, and as a result, “the employee was terminated and all his access to Jackson systems and facilities was immediately revoked.” The hospital has a “zero tolerance policy for any activities that may put our organization, our patients, employees and visitors at risk,” according to the statement.
Mahon has reportedly worked as a respiratory therapy supervisor at Jackson Memorial since 1980 and is also a registered nurse. He voluntarily gave up both licenses after the hospital fired him, sources say.
Another case of transmission of child pornography was reported in Broward County last month. Kevin Macek of Pompano Beach was arrested on July 10 for allegedly sending child porn and soliciting children to perform sex acts on webcam shows. Macek, 41, is charged with possession and transmission of child pornography and solicitation of a child. The press did not name an attorney for him.
According to the police report, a police task force that fights internet crimes against minors received a tip in May from an internet service provider (ISP) about a user who was transmitting pornographic images of children through a messaging service. The user had allegedly sent four images of children believed to be between the ages of 3 and 14 posing in a sexually provocative manner. The ISP sent police the user’s IP address to help them find the computer used to transmit the pictures.
Police tracked the computer’s location to Macek’s home and obtained a warrant for his arrest. They searched his home and found a phone containing three videos of underage girls being sexually assaulted by a man or performing sex acts on themselves, the report said.
After he was arrested, Macek reportedly confessed to sending the pictures and also said he encouraged a man he knew as “David” to perform sex acts on camera with a three-year-old girl while he watched. Sources say police arrested “David” and his wife in June, but their identities have not been released.