Sunday, February 16, 2020

Federal Jury Convicts Vestavia Hills Doctor on Charges of Producing and Possessing Child Pornography


Birmingham, Ala. – A federal jury today convicted a Birmingham-area doctor for producing and possessing child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town and FBI Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp, Jr.

The jury returned its guilty verdict against Dr. Ronald Tai Young Moon, Jr., after 5 days of testimony before U.S. District Judge Annemarie Axon.  Moon has worked as a physical medicine doctor at The Industrial Athlete located in Birmingham.

“The jury returned a verdict which gives Moon’s victims justice for these crimes, which stretched across two decades in Hoover and Vestavia,” stated First Assistant United States Attorney Lloyd C. Peeples, III. “We appreciate the hard work of the federal agencies which exposed the crimes that Moon committed with hidden cameras.”

“FBI is committed to protecting those among us that are the most vulnerable,” Sharp said.  “I am proud of the work done by my agents and our partners to hold Moon accountable for these crimes.”

Evidence at trial proved that between the mid-1990s and about 2012, Moon secretly recorded neighbors and guests in his own home, including minors as young as 12 and 13 years.  Some of those individuals were filmed naked, both dressing and undressing.

These videos were discovered during an investigation into potential health care fraud violations.  The health care fraud investigation was led by the DEA, HHS, and FBI.  The FBI, with assistance from the DEA, led the investigation into the child pornography charges.

Producing child pornography carries a penalty of 15 to 30 years in prison, and a maximum $250,000 fine.  The maximum penalty for possessing child pornography is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John B. Ward and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Lloyd C. Peeples, III prosecuted the case for the United States.

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