Pediatric dentist sentenced to prison

A pediatric dentist in Georgia accused of having more than 2,700 images and videos of children, including some featuring kids younger than 12, was sentenced to three years plus two months in prison, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Dr. Paul Bogeum Kim, 31, of Sandy Springs, who pleaded guilty on August 23 to possession of child pornography, was sentenced to 10 years of supervised release, according to a press release dated December 6 from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia.

"Parents entrusted their children to Kim for pediatric care, while unbeknownst to them, he was amassing thousands of images depicting the sexual exploitation of minors," U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said in the release.

Kim, who worked at pediatric practices in Cumming, Austell, and Dunwoody, had been on house arrest since January.

The investigation into Kim originated from the FBI's broader investigation into a commercial sexual exploitation ring that advertised and sold child pornography on several online platforms. U.S. investigators identified Kim as one of the suspected purchasers of the material.

Kim was allegedly connected to an IP address, a numerical designation that identifies its location on the internet, that had bought child pornography from the child exploitation ring. Kim reportedly paid $250 in cryptocurrency to the ring. The pediatric dentist purportedly admitted to creating an account to buy a video of a girl he believed was 17 or 18.

The FBI's search of his home resulted in the seizure of about 30 electronic devices. The devices reportedly included about 1,948 pornographic images and 798 videos, including several that depicted prepubescent females engaged in sexual acts with adult men or objects.