May 25, 2023 - SAN FRANCISCO– Joseph Andrew Mollick was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for being in possession of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Tatum King. The sentence was handed down by the Hon. Vince Chhabria, U.S. District Judge.

Mollick, 60, of Menlo Park, pleaded guilty to the charge on January 9, 2023. Mollick identifies himself in a filing with the court as a medical doctor who has worked as a hospitalist at San Francisco Bay Area hospitals. According to his plea agreement, Mollick admitted that in August of 2019, he used the social media application Kik to upload a visual depiction of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The image depicted a prepubescent female wearing a red shirt in a sex act with an adult male. Mollick admitted he knew the image was of a prepubescent minor and that its production involved the use of a prepubescent minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Mollick also possessed on his personal laptop at least 2000 images and videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. 

A federal grand jury indicted Mollick on November 16, 2021, charging him with one count possession of child pornography, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(4)(B). Mollick pleaded guilty to the charge.

In addition to the prison term, judge Chhabria ordered Mollick to serve 60 months of supervised release, to begin after his prison term, and to pay a fine of $25,000. Judge Chhabria scheduled a hearing to decide issues regarding restitution for July 26, 2023. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Chambers is prosecuting the case. This case is a result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations. 
Source: DOJ Release