MD Anderson pediatric doctor accused of possessing hundreds of images of child porn

Dennis Patrick Hughes

PEARLAND, Texas – A local pediatric doctor is accused of possessing hundreds of images of child pornography.

FBI officials said a search warrant was executed on June 5 at the Pearland residence of Dennis Patrick Hughes. An investigation revealed that Hughes was accessing child porn files from a web site, according to court documents.

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An affidavit stated Hughes told investigators at his residence that they would find around 10 gigabytes of child pornography on a flash drive. Hughes allegedly told FBI agents that "he would download child pornography onto an external flash drive and would then erase and clean the drive and start over," the affidavit states.

FBI agents said they found around 8,200 files on two separate thumb drives, and that the majority of the files were considered child pornography.

MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital confirmed to KPRC 2 News that Hughes is a pediatric oncologist and an associate professor of Pediatrics at the center. Hughes has been placed on administrative leave.

Hughes faces federal charges of receipt and possession of child pornography. He was taken into custody and remains in Galveston County Jail.

Court records show Hughes is due in federal court in Galveston on Wednesday.

Attorney Neal Davis said Hughes is married with three children, and that there is no allegation that Hughes did anything improper with his children.

A letter that is being sent from MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital to patients Tuesday reads in part, "We know this is difficult news to hear and we apologize for any distress caused by this communication. Because this is a very recent development, details are limited at this time. However, based upon the information we have received so far, we have no reason to believe the charges involve any of our patients or other MD Anderson staff. MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital faculty and staff are actively cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation. We also are conducting our own internal reviews.

Please know that we, along with MD Anderson leadership, are dedicated to ensuring the utmost security and care of our patients and their families. Because we understand this may be stressful for you and your child, our staff, including social workers and psychologists, are available to provide assistance. We invite you to call our Patient Advocacy office at 713-792-7776 with any questions or concerns you may have."

This is a developing story. Stay with KPRC 2 News and Click2Houston.com for the latest.