SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — A pediatric dentist from metro Atlanta who pleaded guilty to having thousands of pornographic pictures and videos of children, some of whom were younger than 12, has been sentenced to federal prison.
When FBI agents raided Dr. Paul Bogeun Kim’s Sandy Springs home in December 2023, they seized dozens of electronic devices and found 1,948 pictures and 798 videos of child sexual assault.
In August, Kim, 31, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography. He has now been sentenced to three years and two months in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
According to the complaint filed in federal court, Kim was connected to an IP address that had purchased child porn from a known child sexual exploitation ring. Investigators say Kim paid approximately $250 in cryptocurrency to the sexual exploitation ring.
He admitted to creating an account to purchase a video of a girl he believed was 17 or 18 years old.
One of the files FBI agents found on Kim’s laptop was called “Minor Victim,” which was a nearly 20-minute video of a young girl being forced to perform sexual acts by someone else over Snapchat. In the video, she identified herself as being 14, about to turn 15.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Verdict reached in trial of driver who killed Cobb high school student seeing holiday lights
- Deadly 3-vehicle crash shuts down City of South Fulton highway
- Man put his grandma in a freezer while she was still alive. He just pleaded guilty in her death
Dr. Kim worked for Dentistry for Children from August 2022 until November 2023. They shared a statement with Channel 2 Action News in January after the raid that read:
We recently learned about the alleged abhorrent behavior involving an Atlanta dentist, Dr. Paul Kim, who worked at Dentistry for Children from August 2022 through November 16, 2023. Dentistry for Children is fully cooperating with authorities. Importantly, we are not aware of any allegations involving any of the practice’s patients, or complaints regarding Dr. Kim or his interactions with patients, staff, or visitors to the practice.
At Dentistry for Children, patient safety is everyone’s top priority, and the practice adheres to robust policies and procedures to ensure the protection of its patients. These measures include:
Prior to being hired, a thorough background check is performed on all staff members and dentists, which includes a review of any local, state, or federal criminal history. These reviews also include ensuring that dentists are actively licensed by the Georgia Board of Dentistry – which maintains their own robust background reviews – to practice in the state.
With respect to Dr. Kim, none of these reviews indicated any concerns, and the first we were alerted to any potential issues involving him was when the news of his arrest broke this week
Finally, our offices follow safety protocols that prohibit 1 on 1 interactions between patients and any member of the practice office team, including dentists, and we have no indication to believe that Dr. Kim failed to maintain those procedures during his tenure at the practice.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2024 Cox Media Group
