Photographers won't be prosecuted for water polo photos on gay sex sites

Two photographers whose non-action photos of unsuspecting local high school boys water polo players have appeared on several gay sex Web sites will not face criminal charges, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said today.

A four-month investigation by the Orange County District Attorney's Office found that Scott Cornelius, a UC Irvine police employee, and Allen Rockwell, did not commit any crimes when their photos of high school athletes were placed on Web sites with sexual content.

Cornelius, currently on paid leave, remains the subject of UC Irvine investigation into whether he violated university policies.

The investigations were prompted by a series of stories by the Orange County Register in January that detailed how photos of local water polo players, some as young as high school freshmen, credited to Cornelius and Rockwell appeared on gay porn sites as far away as Australia.

“Legally there were no criminal charges we could file,” Orange County DA spokesperson Farrah Emami said. “Unless new evidence emerges as the case stands our review of everything found that it didn’t rise to the level of a crime.”

That could change if current legislation before the state assembly passes, although a new law would have no impact on the current water polo case.

In response to the Register’s investigation, the state assembly public safety committee unanimously voted to forward to the appropriations committee a bill that would make preparing, posting or publishing a photograph or image of a minor on adult Web sites a crime punishable by up to a year in jail and/or a $5,000 fine.

Contact the writer: sreid@ocregister.com, dalbano@ocregister.com