Dentist-turned-sex offender faces new child porn charge
SEATTLE -- A former orthodontist who lost his medical license after being ruled a sex offender is facing a new child porn charge.
Marc Joondeph's 30-year career as an orthodontist ended in 2005 when he was convicted of three felonies.
Joondeph was found guilty of possessing and distributing child porn and communicating with minors, including some patients at his Covington practice, for immoral purposes. His license was revoked, and he was ordered to undergo three years of treatment as a sex offender.
Joondeph could have faced up to five years in prison, but thanks to a first-time offender waiver, received just 60 days in jail.
But years after the crime, the man is now sitting in the Monroe Corrections Complex after violating the terms of his release.
Prosecutors have again charged Joondeph with possession of child porn, this time for the events of November 2007.
Investigators said the Internet service provider Yahoo reported suspected child porn images being uploaded onto a Flickr account in September 2007. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) reviewed the images and flagged 79 of them as suspect, detectives said. Twenty six of those flagged images depicted 20 known child victims, according to the statement of probable cause.
After determining the owner of the Flickr account as Joondeph, police obtained a search warrant for his Puyallup home.
When interviewed by detectives, Joondeph said he "likes child pornography but is not having sex with children," the statement said. He added "He is 'chatting' with a girl he thinks is 15 years old and has sent child pornography to her."'
The man admitted he possessed child porn, which was stored on a thumb drive, the statement said. Joondeph gave investigators permission to look through the USB drive, as well as his phone and CDs found in his possession.
Detectives sent 729 child porn images they found to NCMEC, and the group verified the images showed several known child victims.
"Specifically, of the submitted data there were 21 image files that were identified from 13 different series with identified child victims," detectives wrote.
Prosecutors have requested Joondeph be held on $125,000 bail following his release from prison.
Joondeph's previous case came to light after a young girl told her parents about sexual messages she'd received via the Internet, as well as her suspicions of the sender. The family worked with investigators to bait Joondeph online.
According to a 2005 report by the state Department of Health, the man had contacted at least four minors between September 2002 and November 2003 for immoral purposes. The parties "engaged in conversation of an inappropriate and.or sexual nature," the report said.
Health officials said Joondeph, on at least three occasions, also "diverted Vicoprofen, a controlled substance, from his place of employment ... For his own use and/or distribution."
The report revoked the man's medical license, and issued a 5-year ban on petitions for reinstatement.
Joondeph was working at a dental lab in Bellevue when detectives contacted him in 2007.
If convicted of the latest charge, Joondeph would face prison time.
Marc Joondeph's 30-year career as an orthodontist ended in 2005 when he was convicted of three felonies.
Joondeph was found guilty of possessing and distributing child porn and communicating with minors, including some patients at his Covington practice, for immoral purposes. His license was revoked, and he was ordered to undergo three years of treatment as a sex offender.
Joondeph could have faced up to five years in prison, but thanks to a first-time offender waiver, received just 60 days in jail.
But years after the crime, the man is now sitting in the Monroe Corrections Complex after violating the terms of his release.
Prosecutors have again charged Joondeph with possession of child porn, this time for the events of November 2007.
Investigators said the Internet service provider Yahoo reported suspected child porn images being uploaded onto a Flickr account in September 2007. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) reviewed the images and flagged 79 of them as suspect, detectives said. Twenty six of those flagged images depicted 20 known child victims, according to the statement of probable cause.
After determining the owner of the Flickr account as Joondeph, police obtained a search warrant for his Puyallup home.
When interviewed by detectives, Joondeph said he "likes child pornography but is not having sex with children," the statement said. He added "He is 'chatting' with a girl he thinks is 15 years old and has sent child pornography to her."'
The man admitted he possessed child porn, which was stored on a thumb drive, the statement said. Joondeph gave investigators permission to look through the USB drive, as well as his phone and CDs found in his possession.
Detectives sent 729 child porn images they found to NCMEC, and the group verified the images showed several known child victims.
"Specifically, of the submitted data there were 21 image files that were identified from 13 different series with identified child victims," detectives wrote.
Prosecutors have requested Joondeph be held on $125,000 bail following his release from prison.
Joondeph's previous case came to light after a young girl told her parents about sexual messages she'd received via the Internet, as well as her suspicions of the sender. The family worked with investigators to bait Joondeph online.
According to a 2005 report by the state Department of Health, the man had contacted at least four minors between September 2002 and November 2003 for immoral purposes. The parties "engaged in conversation of an inappropriate and.or sexual nature," the report said.
Health officials said Joondeph, on at least three occasions, also "diverted Vicoprofen, a controlled substance, from his place of employment ... For his own use and/or distribution."
The report revoked the man's medical license, and issued a 5-year ban on petitions for reinstatement.
Joondeph was working at a dental lab in Bellevue when detectives contacted him in 2007.
If convicted of the latest charge, Joondeph would face prison time.