“Dozens” of Pentagon employees with high-level security clearance have been identified as downloading child pornography, and some of them appear to still be working for the US government, according to an investigative report.

The Boston Globe obtained a report from the Department of Defense chronicling cases of child pornography downloading by Pentagon employees going back to 2002. While the report did not state how many employees were found with the illicit material, the Globe reported it counted at least 30 cases.

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That represents a “small percentage” of the Pentagon’s massive staff, but it’s a concern nonetheless because it puts the Pentagon Ã¢â‚¬Å“at risk of blackmail, bribery, and threats, especially since these individuals typically have access to military installations,Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ the report stated.

“Some of the individuals have been prosecuted and other cases have been dropped, while more have languished several years without resolution,” the Globe stated.

Among the cases “without resolution” is one of a contractor working for the National Reconnaissance Office who admitted in a 2008 security interview to regularly watching child porn. As of the time of the report’s publication at the end of last year, the contractor had been “transferred to an agency field office in New Mexico and had not been charged.”

The Globe documents a number of other cases:

Many of those apprehended were swept up in a much broader probe initiated by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency in 2006. Operation Flicker identified an estimated 5,000 people who had paid money over the Internet to access websites operated overseas. But until now, it has not been disclosed that a sizable number of cases were referred to the Defense Department for investigation because they involved military personnel, intelligence officials, or defense contractors…. At least two of the cases were contractors with top secret clearances at the National Security Agency, which eavesdrops on foreign communications, according to the documents. When one of the contractors was indicted two years ago, he fled the country and is believed to be hiding in Libya, according to a summary of the investigation from last year. The other was sentenced in 2008 to more than five years in prison and lifetime probation…. Ã¢â‚¬Å“Some are in high-ranking positions, in positions of trust,Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ said John Sheehan, executive director of the exploited child division at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which has been consulted on many of these cases and has reviewed 36 million images of alleged child pornography since 2002 at the request of law enforcement agencies. Ã¢â‚¬Å“There isnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t a profile or stereotype, which makes it even more challenging for law enforcement.Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬â„¢

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Earlier this year, it emerged that investigators were probing allegations of porn-surfing at the US Securities and Exchange Commission, which is responsible for enforcing securities laws. Two of the porn cases were referred to the FBI because it appeared they involved underage performers.

The following video was posted to the Web by the Boston Globe, July 23, 2010.