District Pediatrician Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Possession of Child Pornography

WASHINGTON—Robert Paul Dickey, 74, a pediatrician from Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen, Jr.; Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; and Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Dickey pled guilty in September 2013 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Robert L. Wilkins. Upon completion of his prison term, Dickey will be placed on 10 years of supervised release. He also will be required to register as a sex offender for 15 years following his release from prison. Also, Dickey must forfeit a computer hard drive that was seized by law enforcement during the investigation. Finally, Judge Wilkins ordered him to pay a $10,000 fine.
According to the government’s evidence, on April 10, 2013, law enforcement received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. That cyber tip contained information that Dickey uploaded 14 images of child pornography using a Microsoft account.
Based on that cyber tip, on May 8, 2013, law enforcement executed a search warrant on Dickey’s home office in Southeast Washington. Pursuant to that search warrant, law enforcement recovered various electronic devices. After a forensic review of those items, law enforcement recovered approximately 132 images of child pornography. Dickey was arrested on May 8, 2013, and has remained in custody ever since.
“This case is extremely troubling because a beloved pediatrician was downloading child pornography in the same home where he was providing medical treatment to children,” said U.S. Attorney Machen. “He provided care to many children during his career but also obsessively collected images of children of the same ages being sexually exploited. Dr. Dickey’s prosecution is a concrete demonstration of our commitment to hold accountable anyone who would seek to exploit the innocence of our children.”
“By downloading images of child pornography, Dr. Dickey took advantage of unwitting victims,” said Assistant Director in Charge Parlave. “The FBI is committed to apprehending offenders who sexually exploit children through sharing images of child pornography, and we will continue to work together with our partners to identify these predators and their innocent victims.”
This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative and investigated by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of the FBI’s Washington Field Office and MPD. In February 2006, the Attorney General created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen, Assistant Director Parlave and Chief Lanier praised the work of the MPD detectives and special agents of the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force. They also commended the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Ari Redbord, who prosecuted the case.