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Dr. Ashok Panigrahy, 53, of Pittsburgh, was caught transporting "material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor in interstate commerce, as well as possessed material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor," in Nov. 2022, as stated in the USDOJ release.
The material included images of the raping of children under the of 12 and/or prepubescent, according to federal court documents obtained by Daily Voice.
The two charges were made for violating federal law regarding the sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan said.
"The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both," as stated in the release.
Homeland Security Investigations (Pittsburgh and Chicago) conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment.
Assistant United States Attorney Heidi M. Grogan is prosecuting this case.
Panigrahy is the John F. Caffey Endowed Chair in the Pediatric Radiology Department of Radiology and a professor at the University of Pittsburgh, according to numerous public records and the university website.
He received his BA and MD from Boston University and completed his residency and post-doctoral clinical work in Pediatric Radiology at the University of California Los Angeles, according to Pitt.
Panigraphy entered a not-guilty plea on Tuesday, Sept. 3, according to his federal docket. He was released for home detention on a $50,000 unsecured bond as set by Magistrate Judge Patricia L. Dodge. The terms of his release include staying with the Northern District of Illinois area, Western Pennsylvania for court appearances, and Eastern PA for attorney meetings only, as well as seeking psychological treatment, not seeing witnesses or those with ties to the case, and restricted computer use, according to a federal court order obtained by Daily Voice.
Daily Voice has reached out to Pitt for a statement on this indictment, so check back here for a possible update.
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