PITTSBURGH — A former UPMC Children’s Hospital doctor has been sentenced for child sex crimes.
According to the Department of Justice, Ashok Panigrahy, 54, of Chicago and Pittsburgh, will spend four years in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release.
He was also ordered to pay a $25,000 fine, a $17,000 assessment pursuant to the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act of 2018 (AVAA), a $5,000 assessment pursuant to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act (JVTA) and $10,000 in restitution to his minor victims.
Investigators say Panigrahy knowingly possessed material showing children being sexually exploited in November 2022. At the same time, he was radiologist-in-chief and a John F. Caffey Endowed Chair in pediatric radiology with UPMC.
“The nature and circumstances of the Defendant’s offense is extremely serious. While Panigrahy did not possess a vast collection of child sexual abuse material, the circumstances of Panigrahy’s possession demonstrated that he obtained his material through online conversations on an encrypted platform with other like-minded individuals. The child sexual abuse material Panigrahy saved was all video content, which is arguably more egregious, and included some depictions of very young victims, including toddlers and prepubescent minors being sexually abused,” the sentencing memo submitted by the United States said.
He pleaded guilty to the crimes in March 2025.
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“Such conduct is unacceptable, period. However, it is more reprehensible when it is committed clandestinely by an individual who is entrusted with caring for children and is given privileged access to a facility dedicated to helping and treating children. Thus, beyond victimizing the children whose depictions of sexual abuse he possessed, the Defendant’s conduct represents a disturbing betrayal of trust to our community of children and their families in the Western District of Pennsylvania,” the sentencing memo submitted by the United States said.
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