Pawcatuck pediatrician Dr. Todd Parrilla, 47, of Stonington, appeared in Federal Court in Hartford on August 26, for a detention hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas P. Smith, who agreed to release Parrilla into the custody of his parents on a $500,000 non-surety bond.
Parrilla was on August 23, and charged with the possession, receipt, and distribution of child pornography following an FBI undercover operation that originated in Kansas City, Missouri. If convicted of the charges, Parrilla faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years, and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years and a fine of up to $250,000.
In a press release announcing the arrest, U.S. Attorney David B. Fein, stressed that “a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Parrilla was initially investigated earlier this summer, when an undercover law enforcement officer in Kansas City found 104 images of child pornography on an Internet file sharing program that came from a directory that, according to the arrest affidavit, was maintained by Parrilla.
The arrest affidavit states that a search of Parrilla’s home conducted on August 23 by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Connecticut Computer Crimes Task Force led to the discovery of about 100 pornographic print images in his bedroom closet. Investigators also discovered a detachable hard drive connected to the desktop computer in Parrilla’s office and two detachable hard drives locked in a safe in the basement, both of which allegedly contained images of child pornography.
Although forensic analysis of the seized computer components has not yet been completed, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Connecticut reports that preliminary analysis of key fob cameras seized at the time of Parrilla’s arrest “have revealed no surreptitious recordings of patients.”
As a condition of his release, Parrilla will be required to wear an electronic monitoring device and he is prohibited from having any contact with minors, although he will be allowed supervised contact with his niece and nephew. Parrilla will be prohibited from using the Internet while under house arrest and he will be subject to a mental health evaluation and counseling under the direction of the U.S. Probation Office.
Parrilla, who is managing partner of the Pawcatuck pediatric practice and also owns the building that houses the medical offices, has taken a leave of absence from the practice, where he treated more than half of the roughly 4,000 patients it serves.
Parrilla is working with the U.S. Probation Office and with lawyers representing both the practice and his business partner to resolve issues regarding his continued involvement in the business, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. However, the doctor will not be allowed in the medical offices while patients are present.
