Photo by Mylar Bono.

When I accepted the offer to become DCist’s new editor a couple of months ago, I was really only dreading one thing: cleaning out the desk at my old office job, which I had worked at for nearly four years. I had no idea what I’d pull out of those dark, cavernous cells which usually served as a place for me to shove things when I was in a rush. The task didn’t disappoint. Some old socks, long-expired cough syrup and prescription medications and several pieces of food in unmentionable condition were but some of the discoveries. (I probably should have been wearing gloves, now that I reflect on it.) But as disgusting as it may have been, I was reasonably sure that I wouldn’t end up finding anything illegal inside the guts of my trusty desk.

The same can’t be said for Ernesto Cacanindin, who was laid off from his job at Jones Day, a national law firm with offices in D.C. That wasn’t the worst part of his day, though. Above the Law reports that Cacanindin — after being fired and told, as is the custom with law offices, that he must leave the building immediately — had been stashing child pornography in his desk drawers. Says the Department of Justice:

Employees had discovered an envelope containing 20 Polaroid pictures while cleaning out Cacanindin’s desk following his dismissal. Nine of those pictures depicted closeup views of a female child’s genitalia, and five pictures showed Cacanindin performing oral sex on the victim. The victim was between 12 and 15 years old at the time the pictures were taken. Cacanindin admitted that he performed and photographed the sexual acts at his home, five or six years ago.

Cacanindin received a sentence of 15 to 30 years for the crime. I guess I don’t feel so bad about leaving that old towel in the drawer now.