Southeastern Connecticut Pediatrician Sentenced to Five Years in Prison on Child Pornography Conviction

David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Kimberly K. Mertz, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced that TODD PARRILLA, 49, of Stonington, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by a lifetime term of supervised release, for possessing and distributing child pornography. PARRILLA also was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine. PARRILLA is a doctor who formerly operated a pediatric practice in southeastern Connecticut.

“For more than a decade, this practicing pediatrician secretly assembled a massive collection of child pornography,” stated U.S. Attorney Fein. “The images Dr. Parrilla possessed and traded included numerous horrific depictions of the sexual abuse of children. It’s an incredible act of hypocrisy by someone who should have been committed to the well-being of children. Viewing child pornography is never a victimless act, and this sentence should serve as a warning to anyone who is contemplating engaging in similar crimes.”

“The receipt and distribution of child pornography is a crime which causes unspeakable harm and devastation to the lives of the victimized children, and its impact is immeasurable,” stated FBI Special Agent in Charge Mertz. “Those who receive and distribute child pornography promote, feed, and sustain the supply and demand of that dark and disturbing world. The agents and officers who investigate these atrocious crimes are truly special people who have devoted themselves to eliminating child pornography, and their message to those who live in that world is abundantly clear—we will find you and you will be brought to justice. Today’s sentencing of Dr. Parrilla is case in point.”

According to court documents and statements made in court, on July 8, 2011, a law enforcement officer in Kansas City, Missouri, acting in an undercover capacity, logged into a publicly available Internet file-sharing program and downloaded 104 images of child pornography from a shared directory maintained by PARRILLA.

On August 23, 2011, PARRILLA was arrested following the execution of a search and seizure warrant at his residence. On that date, the FBI seized two computers, three detachable hard drives, computer-related components, and numerous printed images of child pornography. Subsequent analysis of the seized computers, hard drives, and other items revealed more than 100,000 images and more than 10,000 videos depicting child pornography, including images of boys under the age of 12 engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Some of the material portrayed sadistic or masochistic conduct or other depictions of violence.

At the time of his arrest, PARRILLA was employed as a pediatrician in Pawcatuck, Connecticut. To date, the investigation has revealed no evidence that any of PARRILLA’s patients were depicted in the child pornography found in his home, or that PARRILLA had inappropriate sexual contact with any of his patients.

PARRILLA has been released on bond under strict supervision of the United States Probation Office since shortly after his arrest. A condition of his bond includes that he have no unsupervised contact with children under the age of 18.

On June 25, 2012, PARRILLA pleaded guilty to one count of receipt and distribution of child pornography.

Judge Bryant ordered PARRILLA to report to prison on January 4, 2013.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Connecticut Computer Crimes Task Force, which includes federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The Stonington Police Department has assisted the investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ray Miller and Deborah Slater.

The Connecticut Computer Crimes Task Force, which is housed at the FBI in New Haven, investigates crimes occurring over the Internet, including computer intrusion, Internet fraud, copyright violations, Internet threats and harassment, and online crimes against children. The task force also provides computer forensic review services for participating agencies. For more information about the task force, please contact the FBI at 203-777-6311.

U.S. Attorney Fein noted that this prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.