CURRENT "INSPECTOR GENERAL GOLDEN NUGGET"

Web surfing officer nets nine months confinement.

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, IL. (AFNS) -- An Air Force officer using his government computer to download pornographic images has learned a lesson he'll never forget and wants others to avoid the same temptation.
 

On August 24, 1996, Capt. William D. Hopkins Jr., 88th Communications Group, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, was sentenced to nine months confinement, a $10,000 fine and a reprimand for conduct unbecoming an officer consisting of wrongfully and dishonorably using Air Force computer and telecommunications equipment to locate, download and store computer graphics, including pornographic images.
 

Hopkins plead guilty to the charge and was sentenced by a military judge sitting alone at his request. In an open letter written while in confinement, the 23-year veteran admitted he violated the rules by using government equipment for personal purposes, and hopes his story will convince others tempted to misuse government computers to think twice. Looking back, Hopkins wrote, he now realizes that he was falsely justifying his actions at the time of misuse.
 

"I told myself it (using the computer) was okay because I'm only using it after working hours; I'm not causing a loss to the government -- the computer won't be used up because the hard drive can be erased and used again and again; I'm not making any money by what I'm doing; and besides, I know other people in my work center who are doing it," Hopkins wrote.
 

Over time, while using the computer to access large archives of information for work, Hopkins stated that he became aware of the multitude of nonofficial information that exists on the internet and began using his computer to download erotic pictures. Hopkins' illegal web surfing began as a brief diversion from a hectic work load, but eventually he began downloading erotic pictures more frequently.
 

"In a sense, I was using my government computer as a screen for my electronic 'men's' magazine. It was like having the magazine hidden in my desk and, when no one else was around, taking it out to look at the pictures, and then putting it away," Hopkins wrote. According to Hopkins, his "terrible mistake" has cost him much more than a simple monetary loss. The loss of trust and respect that now scars his lifetime achievements in the Air Force convinced him to try to sway others from making the same mistake. "Essentially, I can't be trusted to continue my career in the Air Force. I doubt (anyone) can imagine the embarrassment I feel," wrote Hopkins.
 

In January 1997, the Air Force distributed Air Force Instruction 33-129, Transmission of Information via the Internet and published AFI 33-119, Electronic Mail Management and Use in March 1997. The AFIs contain specific guidance regarding use of the Internet and e-mail as a government resource and as such should be for official business or authorized use only. Every member is responsible for complying with these publications, according to Air Force Communications Agency officials.

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