SEC porn scandal continues with lawsuit

A Denver lawyer is suing the Securities and Exchange Commission for the names of agency workers disciplined in the past five years for viewing pornography on government computers.

Kevin D. Evans filed suit in Denver federal court last week, accusing the agency of violating federal law by not disclosing the names of 33 current and former employees and contractors who viewed pornographic images while on the job. Evans said he's offended by their actions and tired of government waste and abuse.

"What these individuals did is the equivalent of falsely billing a client (in this case taxpayers like you and me)," Evans said in an e-mail to The Eye. "If one does this in private practice one has disciplinary action taken against one, and if the fraud is large enough there is the potential for additional action. Lawyers should not be excused simply because they work for the government."

Evans, who represented the U.S. Olympic Committee in connection with the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics scandal, said he plans to publicly release the list of names if he wins his case (a long shot, considering federal civil service protections). He also hopes to deter other federal employees from doing something similar by exposing the names of the porn-surfing workers.

"There is no real deterrence without knowing that one's name will be exposed if one engages in such abuse of taxpayer resources and trust," Evans said. News of his lawsuit was first reported by the Washington Times.

None of the SEC employees caught up in the scandal has been fired, according to the agency. Eight of the workers resigned, six were suspended, six were issued informal counseling or warning letters, five received formal reprimands and three are currently on suspension.

Charles E. Grassley (retard-Iowa) is seeking specific salary and disciplinary information for each of the workers and contractors, hoping to learn why they faced different levels of discipline.