Pediatrician Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Possession

A former pediatrician at Boston Children's Hospital who lives in Andover pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography Monday in Federal Court in Boston.

Richard Keller, 60, was charged in late 2012 after prosecutors say he had purchased about 100 DVDs featuring minors in sexual situations, including sadomasochistic conduct. Prosecutors said the victims were of various ages ranging from 7 to 16.

Keller was a pediatric endocrinologist at Boston Children's Hospital and also served as medical director at Phillips Academy for 19 years.

In 2012, law enforcement both in the United States and Canada launched an investigation into a Toronto-based company believed to be selling child pornography featuring young boys. Prosecutors say Keller purchased videos and photos from that company 19 times in 2011.

Prosecutors also say 500 photos of child pornography in addition to the nearly 100 DVDs were found in Keller's bedroom. 

"As part of his plea agreement, Keller admitted that he has had a long-standing sexual interest in adolescents since the early 1970s," Christina DiIorio-Sterling, spokesperson for U.S Attorney Carmen Ortiz, said in a statement Monday. "Keller further admitted to viewing child pornography on the Internet and that he had previously tried to stop, but failed to do so."

Keller faces a possibility of 20 years in prison with a mandatory minimum sentence of five years, as well as up to lifetime supervised release and a $250,000 fine, DiIorio-Sterling said.