Sentencing Delayed for Former UW Professor Charged with Possession of Child Pornography
A former University of Wyoming professor who pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography has had his sentencing date reset.
Jian Cai, a former UW assistant professor of mechanical engineering, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography in U.S. District Court in November. Cai’s sentencing was set for Feb. 5. In an order granting a motion to continue sentencing filed Monday, his sentencing was reset for Feb. 26. Cai faces up to 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines. The continuance was requested due to an illness in Cai’s family as well as a probation officer involved in the case being ill, according to the U.S. District Court.
The investigation into Cai began on Feb 14 in connection to a peer-to-peer, or P2P file sharing network. Agents with the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation were able to determine that an Internet Protocol, or IP address of a computer belonging to Cai had downloaded pornographic images depicting children, according to court documents.
Agents found the laptop in question, along with an external hard drive that contained hundreds of files of child pornography, while executing a search warrant of Cai’s home.
Cai also told agents he had used his laptops to connect to the internet via the UW network, federal court documents state.