Today, a jury in Fulton County Superior Court found former Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) professor Faiz Al-Khayyal guilty of possessing child pornography. Al-Khayyal was convicted on all 76 counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children (O.C.G.A. § 16-12-100).

“Possession of child pornography is a heinous crime that exploits the most vulnerable members of our society,” said Attorney General Sam Olens. “I am pleased that today Mr. Al-Khayyal has been brought to justice.”

In 2009, while Al-Khayyal was on a teaching assignment in China, Georgia Tech identified images of sexually explicit material involving children on Al-Khayyal’s computer and notified the Attorney General’s office. A subsequent investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) revealed images of child pornography on Al-Khayyal’s office computer in Fulton County. Upon his return from China, Al-Khayyal was stopped by customs officials at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and his laptop computer was confiscated on suspicion of possession of child pornography.

Al-Khayyal will be sentenced at a later date by Judge T. Jackson Bedford. Charges against him relating to the images contained on his Georgia Tech-issued laptop are pending in Clayton County.

Assistant Attorney General Laura Pfister prosecuted the case on behalf of the State of Georgia. The GBI led the investigation, headed up by former Agent Vaughn Estes.