Former Children’s Hospital Doctor Charged with Child Pornography

A former chief of radiology at UPMC Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh has been arrested on suspicion of possessing images of child pornography, the U.S. attorney general in Pittsburgh said Wednesday.

Dr. Ashok Panigrahy, 53, of Pittsburgh, pleaded not guilty Tuesday before a federal magistrate in Pittsburgh to charges of transporting and attempting to transport material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor and possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, according to an indictment handed down Aug. 29 by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh. Prosecutors said the images could have been sent across state lines or from another country. The incidents allegedly occurred from Nov. 15 to Nov. 22, 2022, they said.

Prosecutors alleged in the indictment that Panigrahy stored images and videos of sexual acts involving minors under the age of 12 in computer graphics and digital files while he was in western Pennsylvania.

The investigation that led to the charges was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations in both Pittsburgh and Chicago, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Pittsburgh said.

Panigrahy was released from federal custody Tuesday on $50,000 unsecured bail and placed on home confinement. He is only allowed to leave the house to work, attend religious services and meet with his attorney or doctors. U.S. District Magistrate Patricia Dodge ordered Panigrahy to undergo specialized treatment for those accused of sex crimes and to participate in any recommended mental health treatment.

A judge has not yet set a date for the jury trial that Panigrahy has requested.

The US Department of Justice wants to seize an Apple Macbook Pro and an Apple iPhone.

UPMC said in a statement that the hospital system immediately placed Panigrahy on administrative leave last November after being notified of the investigation by law enforcement. His employment was subsequently terminated, UPMC said in a brief statement.

Panigrahy was also a professor at the University of Pittsburgh. A university spokesman could not be reached for comment Wednesday night.