The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced last week that the director of artificial intelligence at Cedars-Sinai hospital has been arrested and charged with possessing and distributing child pornography.
According to Deputy District Attorney Angela Brunson of the cybercrime division, Guido Germano, 59, of Santa Monica is charged with one felony count each of distribution of obscene matter and possession of child or youth pornography. He is suspected of distributing child pornography videos using peer-to-peer software and downloading them onto his personal computer at his home.
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Peer-to-peer sharing allows a user to bypass downloading from a web browser and can help a user avoid detection.
Germano, whose field of artificial medical intelligence involves automating analysis of 3D images of the heart, entered a plea of not guilty at his arraignment. CNN could not reach his attorney for comment.
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Paul Eakins, a public relations officer for the DA’s office, said in a news release that the judge imposed two bond conditions for Germano. They are — no unsupervised time with minor children, and no internet use unless a device equipped with accountability software is used. The release further stated:
Germano was arrested June 19 and released on $20,000 bond, the DA’s office said. He was charged with two felonies — the distribution of obscene matter and possession of child or youth pornography, court documents said. If convicted, he faces a possible maximum sentence of three years and eight months in state prison.
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The next scheduled court date for Germano is a preliminary hearing on August 29.
Cedars-Sinai placed Germano on administrative leave. They told CNN that it “will fully cooperate with any law enforcement investigation stemming from this matter.”1
The U.S. Department of Justice reports that over the past five years, more than 2,500 defendants per year have faced federal charges for child exploitation. The charges include distributing, possessing, producing, or receiving child pornography.
Germano’s case remains under investigation by the DA’s office.
