Metro Atlanta pediatric dentist pleads guilty to possession of child pornography

SANDY SPRINGS, Georgia. – A metropolitan Atlanta pediatric dentist has pleaded guilty to possessing thousands of child pornography images.

FBI agents arrested 31-year-old Dr. Paul Bogeun Kim after searching his home on December 19, 2023. He pleaded guilty last week.

According to court documents, Kim was arrested as part of the FBI's Child Exploitation Operations Unit's investigation into a commercial sex ring that targeted underage girls on the Internet.

Investigators say the group used blackmail to force the teenagers to perform sexual acts and self-harm. The group obtains images of its victims mainly via Snapchat and sells them on various online platforms using Bitcoin.

Officials tracked a Bitcoin address used to purchase three files of child pornography valued at about $249 and said they were able to trace the account to Kim's home in Sandy Springs.

During their search, officers found dozens of electronic devices with approximately 1,948 images and 798 videos of child pornography. According to authorities, several videos showed prepubescent women engaging in sexual acts with adult men or objects.

Around the same time, authorities say Kim admitted to purchasing cryptocurrency-related materials using the Coinbase account on his phone. While Kim told agents he believed the victim in one of the videos was 17 or 18, authorities say she was 15 when she was first questioned by the FBI.

According to authorities, Kim worked at pediatric dental offices in Austell, Dunwoody and Cumming.

“Kim possessed material depicting the sexual exploitation of minors while parents entrusted their children to his pediatric care,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “Possession of child pornography exploits and abuses children and leaves lasting consequences for victims every time the images are distributed online.”

Kim was released on bail on the condition that he stay at home and have no internet access or contact with his children.

His sentencing is scheduled for November 21, 2024.

If you believe you have information that could help the FBI investigate similar crimes, call the FBI's tip line at 1-800-225-5324 or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.