A former Boston Children’s Hospital anesthesiology fellow has been sentenced to 22 years in federal prison after admitting he produced, possessed and distributed child sexual abuse material. Prosecutors say some of the files involved infants and at least one child known to 37-year-old Christopher Sheerer. He will also serve five years of supervised release and must pay more than $65,000 in restitution.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Denise J. Casper imposed the 22-year sentence on January 29, 2026, and ordered $65,722 in restitution, with an additional amount to be set at a hearing scheduled for March 26, 2026. The release says Sheerer pleaded guilty in September 2025 to one count each of distribution of child pornography, possession of child pornography and sexual exploitation of children, and that he has remained in federal custody since his July 2024 arrest.
Investigation and evidence
Federal investigators say the case opened in May 2024, when they identified a user in an encrypted chat group that required new members to upload a nude photo of a child along with a handwritten sign showing the group’s name. Prosecutors allege an IP address traced to Johns Hopkins led them to Sheerer, and forensic analysis of devices seized from his Boston residence uncovered dozens of chats and files, including imagery of infants and material involving a child personally known to him. Those details were reported by The Boston Globe.
Where he worked and the arrest
Local reporting from NBC Boston shows Sheerer had begun a pediatric cardiac anesthesiology fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital on July 1 and had previously completed a fellowship at Johns Hopkins. Boston Children’s says it terminated his employment after the allegations surfaced, and court records indicate he was arrested in July 2024 and has been detained since. Boston pediatric anesthesiologist charged covered the initial arrest and hospital response.
Prosecutors' statements
“Every time child sexual abuse material is created, shared, or viewed, children are revictimized again and again,” U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley said in the federal sentencing announcement. Homeland Security Investigations’ special agent in charge, Michael J. Krol, called Sheerer “among the worst kind of criminal we investigate,” language included in the same press release. The federal statement stressed both the lasting harm to victims and the need for tight coordination between local and federal investigators. The U.S. Attorney’s Office had urged a lengthy sentence.
Legal context and what's next
Sheerer’s guilty pleas covered production, possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material, offenses that carry long federal prison terms and mandatory supervised release, and prosecutors had asked for a substantial sentence. A March 26 hearing will determine whether victims receive additional restitution. The case is being handled under the Justice Department’s Project Safe Childhood initiative, which targets online child exploitation. Boston.com has further coverage of the upcoming hearing.
Hospital response and community questions
Boston Children’s Hospital emphasized patient safety after the arrest and said it terminated Sheerer’s fellowship once federal authorities notified the hospital. The case has renewed questions about vetting and oversight for physicians who work with children, and prosecutors say they will continue working with federal and local partners to identify and support victims. Local outlets have gathered court filings and official statements as the case moves toward the restitution hearing, and those questions about trust and oversight are likely to linger well beyond the final court date.
