CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. - A federal judge handed down a 30-year sentence Wednesday to the New York pediatrician who took pornographic pictures of a young patient.
The charges against Rakesh Punn stemmed from a patient he treated over eight years ago at his home office in Bethpage, N.Y.
In September 2007, Punn falsely diagnosed "the child with an illness so that he could obtain unfettered access to her without her parents being present," according to a statement from the Justice Department.
Punn pleaded guilty in April 2014 to producing child pornography in connection to this patient, admitting that he drugged the girl and secretly photographed her.
The court found that Punn, now 57, "engaged in a pattern of similar conduct with other patients and enhanced his sentence accordingly."
After he serves 30 years in prison, Punn faces lifetime supervised release for sexual exploitation of minors.
The pediatrician also awaits sentencing on state charges related to this conduct.
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