Summit Medical Group Doctor Surrenders to FBI

Rocco Martino, 42, of South Orange, surrendered this morning to FBI agents for allegedly possessing child pornography, United States Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Martino, who practices internal and sports medicine with the Summit Medical Group in Berkeley Heights, is charged with one count of possession of child pornography. He appeared this afternoon before U. S. Magistrate Judge Mark Falk in Newark federal court and was released on a $250,000 bond. As a condition of his bail, Martino will be subject to electronic monitoring.

According to the complaint, Martino downloaded and posted videos and images of child pornography via peer-to-peer file sharing software from at least November 2010 through December 2010.

Martino's  page on the Summit Medical Group website, which has since been removed, describes him as a specialist in sports medicine and integrative medicine. He is a graduate of Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Princeton University, and the University of Medicine and Dentistry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. He served his residency in internal medicine at Brown Medical School and completed a fellowship in sports medicine at the Jersey Shore Medical Center.

Richard Rubenstein of Richard Rubenstein Public Relations, a public relations firm representing Summit Medical Group,  issued the following statement: "Summit Medical Group was informed of the FBI's charges against Dr. Rocco Martino and is fully cooperating with the authorities. We take these allegations extremely seriously and have placed Dr. Martino on suspension. There is no immediate evidence of any connection between these personal allegations and Dr. Martino's position at Summit Medical Group."

The charge of possessing child pornography carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Anyone who has information which may be relevant to this case is encouraged to contact the Newark Division of the FBI at (973) 792-3000.