A former chief radiologist at UPMC Children’s Hospital was sentenced to four years in federal prison and almost $50,000 in fines for possession of child sexual abuse material, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Ashok Panigrahy, 54, a resident of Pittsburgh and Chicago, will serve an additional 10 years of supervised release after prison and will pay a $25,000 fine, $10,000 in restitution to the victims, and two $17,000 and $5,000 assessments related to his charges.

He was charged with one felony count each of transporting and possessing material depicting child sexual exploitation.

The $17,000 assessment is pursuant to the Amy, Vicky and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act of 2018, and the $5,000 assessment is pursuant to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act.

“The nature and circumstances of the defendant’s offense is extremely serious,” said assistant U.S. attorney Heidi M. Grogan in a sentencing memo submitted by the U.S. “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.”

She said the child sexual abuse material Panigrahy possessed was all in video format and depicted very young children. He was found to be in possession of the material around Nov. 21 and 22 of 2022.

Panigrahy also served as vice chairman of clinical and translational imaging research at UPMC and was a professor of radiology. A spokesperson from UPMC previously told the Butler Eagle that Panigrahy was initially placed on administrative leave, and subsequently terminated.

Panigrahy initially pleaded not guilty to both counts in September but later changed his plea. In September, U.S. District Judge Patricia Dodge ordered Panigrahy to participate in specialized treatment for individuals charged with a sex offense and any further recommended mental health treatment, according to court documents.