FBI - Federal Bureau of Investigation

01/31/2023 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 02/01/2023 09:36

Pediatric Surgeon Sentenced to Prison for Possession, Distribution of Child Pornography

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced today that Guy Rosenschein was sentenced to over 17 years in prison. Rosenschein, 68, of Albuquerque, pleaded guilty in federal court on Oct. 15 to seven counts of distribution of visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and one count of possession of visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Rosenschein first came to the attention of law enforcement in 2016 following two CyberTipline Reports submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) by the online chat provider Chatstep. Chatstep reported that images containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) were posted by a user in Albuquerque, New Mexico. NCMEC forwarded the CyberTipline Reports to the New Mexico Attorney General's Office, Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, which submitted the reports to the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office (BCSO) for investigation.

BCSO learned that the posts on Chatstep were made from the residence of Rosenschein, then employed as a pediatric urologist and surgeon at Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Based on that information, BCSO Detectives obtained a state search warrant for Rosenschein's residence. The search revealed numerous electronic devices which contained CSAM.

After BCSO conducted their search, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) learned of the existence of a hidden room, containing a safe, located inside Rosenschein's residence. The room, which was said to be behind a false wall inside a closet underneath the stairs, was present in the home before Rosenschein purchased it. The FBI obtained a second search warrant to reenter the residence, where they located two safes inside the hidden room. Inside one of the safes, agents located additional CSAM.

In total, law enforcement located approximately 19,116 images and 2,092 videos depicting CSAM on the devices seized from Rosenschein.

In addition to New Mexico, the investigation revealed that Rosenschein worked as a pediatric surgeon in several locations in the United States, including New York, Arkansas, and Missouri. Law enforcement learned of additional allegations in other states that Rosenschein had befriended young male patients before sexually abusing the young boys. The investigation to date has revealed three alleged victims of sexual abuse committed by Rosenschein and charges are pending in Arkansas in association with two of these alleged victims.

"Dr. Rosenschein's conduct was shameful and heinous," said United States Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez. "Distribution and possession of material depicting the sexual assault of children are serious offenses that cause ongoing harm to the victims and encourage the sexual exploitation and rape of minors. These offenses are horrific when committed by any offender, but it is all the more egregious that the offender in this case was a pediatric surgeon. Using a position of trust to exploit the most vulnerable should always come with the maximum penalties under the law."

"This sentence serves as an important reminder to our community that even a trusted physician has the capability to pursue and possess horrendous materials involving children," said New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez. "I thank all parties involved for holding Mr. Rosenschein accountable and commend the hard work that my ICAC team dedicated towards this effort."

"I am proud of our detective's hard work on this case and their collaboration with the FBI," said Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen. "Thank you to the United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico for prosecuting this horrific case. This is a heartbreaking example of true evil lurking in our community, and I am relieved knowing Rosenschein has been sentenced to prison."

Upon his release from prison, Rosenschein will be subject to 10 years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender.

The FBI Albuquerque Field Office and the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office investigated this case with assistance from the New Mexico Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah J. Mease and Holland S. Kastrin are prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and DOJ's Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.

The case also was brought as a part of the New Mexico ICAC Task Force's mission, which is to locate, track, and capture Internet child sexual predators and Internet child pornographers in New Mexico. There are 86 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies associated with the New Mexico ICAC Task Force, which is funded by a grant administered by the New Mexico Attorney General's Office. Anyone with information relating to suspected child predators and suspected child abuse is encouraged to contact federal or local law enforcement.

# # #

23-20