A former physician from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital has been charged with federal crimes related to child pornography, authorities reported. Howard M. Saal, a 73-year-old geneticist and dysmorphologist, faced the judge in a federal court in Cincinnati on allegations of transporting and possessing illicit materials. The charges stem from an investigation led by a Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office detective, who is part of the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, as per the Department of Justice's recent press release.
The investigation into Saal began with a cyber tip about searches for child pornography linked to his IP address. It uncovered over 153,000 images and 470 videos showing child sexual abuse material on Saal's electronic devices. According to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice, the victims in these images were as young as a newborn, however, no evidence has been found connecting the material back to his patients or any children from the hospital.
Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey praised the investigative unit for their diligence, urging potential victims of Dr. Saal to come forward. “We will continue to seek out dangerous individuals and bring justice to victims’ families,” McGuffey stated, as obtained by the U.S. Department of Justice, as the community reckons with the unsettling discovery.
Elena Iatarola, the FBI's Special Agent in Charge in Cincinnati, echoed the sentiment of aggressive action against child exploitation, thanking the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office for their partnership in the investigation. Both the Sheriff's office and the FBI underscore the egregious breach of trust, especially coming from someone who once occupied a position of care and responsibility. The federal offense of transporting child pornography holds a sentence of five to 20 years, while possession could mean up to 20 years in prison, should the allegations prove true.
U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II and other members of the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force and Ohio ICAC are the ones announcing the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Danielle E. Margeaux is representing the government in this case. It is noted, however, that a criminal complaint is not a determination of guilt; the accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
