David B. Fein, United States Attorney
for the District of Connecticut, announced that Todd Parrilla, 48, of
Stonington, waived his right to indictment and pleaded guilty today before
United States District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to one count of
receipt and distribution of child pornography. In pleading guilty, Todd
Parrilla, a medical doctor who had a pediatric practice in southeastern
Connecticut, admitted that he possessed more than 100,000 images and videos of
child pornography.
“This defendant possessed and
distributed tens of thousands of images and videos portraying the sexual abuse
of children,” stated U.S. Attorney Fein. “This is a heinous crime. That it was
committed by a pediatrician, whose profession is committed to the well-being of
children, makes it especially disturbing. I commend the FBI and the Connecticut
Computer Crimes Task Force for investigating this matter and the tireless work
they do every day to investigate these crimes and protect children from
exploitation.”
According to court documents and
statements made in court, on July 8, 2011, a law enforcement officer in Kansas
City, Missouri, acting in an undercover capacity, logged into a publicly
available Internet file sharing program and downloaded 104 images of child
pornography from a shared directory maintained by Parrilla.
On August 23, 2011, Parrilla was
arrested following the execution of a search and seizure warrant at his
residence. On that date, the FBI seized two computers, three detachable hard
drives, computer-related components, and numerous printed images of child
pornography. Subsequent analysis of the seized computers and hard drives
revealed more than 100,000 images and more than 10,000 videos depicting child
pornography, including images of boys under the age of 12 engaging in sexually
explicit conduct. Some of the material portrayed sadistic or masochistic
conduct or other depictions of violence.
At the time of his arrest, Parrilla was
employed as a pediatrician in Pawcatuck, Connecticut.
Parrilla has been released on bond under
strict supervision of the United States Probation Office since shortly after
his arrest. A condition of his bond includes that he have no unsupervised
contact with children under the age of 18.
Judge Bryant has scheduled sentencing
for October 24, 2012, at which time Parrilla faces a mandatory minimum term of
imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
This matter is being investigated by the
Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Connecticut Computer Crimes Task Force,
which includes federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The
Stonington Police Department has assisted the investigation. The case is being
prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Deborah Slater and Ray Miller.
The Connecticut Computer Crimes Task
Force investigates crimes occurring over the Internet, including computer
intrusion, Internet fraud, copyright violations, Internet threats and
harassment, and online crimes against children. The task force also provides
computer forensic review services for participating agencies. The task force is
housed in the main FBI office in New Haven, Connecticut. For more information
about the task force, please contact the FBI at 203-777-6311.
U.S. Attorney Fein noted that this
prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood
Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and
exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit
www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
To report cases of child exploitation,
please visit www.cybertipline.com.
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