Federal prosecutors charged a former Cincinnati Children’s Hospital doctor earlier this week with transporting and possessing child pornography, and the state medical board pulled his license to practice medicine the following day.
Howard M. Saal, 73, of Cincinnati, appeared in federal court in Cincinnati Tuesday to face the charges. On Wednesday, the State Medical Board of Ohio ordered the permanent surrender of his MD’s license, “effective immediately.”
Saal was previously employed as a geneticist and dysmorphologist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, according to a statement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio.
A dysmorphologist is a specialist, typically also a pediatrician, who focuses on the study and diagnosis of birth defects and abnormal physical development.
The statement from the U.S. attorney’s office detailed how the case developed:
According to charging documents, a Hamilton County Sherriff’s Office detective working on the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force investigated a cyber tip regarding image searches for child pornography that originated from Saal’s IP address. The cyber tip image depicted two naked females, approximately 10 years old, engaged in sexual conduct.
To date, as part of an ongoing review of Saal’s electronic devices, the FBI has thus far identified more than 153,000 images and 470 videos of child sexual abuse material. Some of the child pornography involves child victims as young as a newborn.
According to federal prosecutors, investigators have not located any evidence of child pornography involving patients or children associated with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.
However, that has not eased the fears of some Cincinnati parents.
“My thoughts were just completely beyond me. We put our children [sic] lives in these doctors hands,” one parent told a Cincinnati NBC affiliate.
Another told the station’s news operation, “I’m mad. I’m mad as hell.”
Local authorities are urging public cooperation.
“I am incredibly proud of the work of our Regional Electronics and Computer Investigations unit and their diligence in investigating this individual,” said Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey. “We encourage anyone who thinks they may be a victim of Dr. Saal to contact our detectives.”
Federal authorities say no lead will be ignored.
“The FBI and our partners will continue to fiercely investigate those who attempt to sexually exploit children,” FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge Elena Iatarola stated.
Transporting child pornography is a federal crime punishable by at least five and up to 20 years in prison, according to federal prosecutors. Possessing child pornography carries a potential maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
Saal was arraigned in Federal court. Prosecutors did not ask he be jailed, and a judge released him on his own recognizance.
