March 31, 2015

Sun City Pediatrician Sentenced to 14 Years for Distributing Child Pornography

PHOENIX—On March 30, 2015, Emilio Luna, 44, of Sun City, Ariz., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge David G. Campbell to 14 years in federal prison, to be followed by a lifetime term of supervised release. Luna previously pleaded guilty on two counts of distribution of child pornography during a time when he was a practicing pediatrician. Luna is also required to register as a sex offender and prohibited from working as a pediatrician.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the 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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution was handled by Melissa Karlen and Sharon Sexton, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, District of Arizona, Phoenix.