A former director of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center who admitted to possessing child pornography was sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to attend counseling, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Guido Germano of Santa Monica pleaded no contest to one felony count of possession of child or youth pornography on Monday. He shared child pornography videos using peer-to-peer software and downloaded the clips onto his personal computer at home, according to prosecutors.
Germano, 59, was sentenced through a plea deal with prosecutors, DA’s office spokesman Ricardo Santiago told KTLA.
He was previously the director of the Division of Artificial Intelligence Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in the Beverly Grove area. According to the Los Angeles Times, he was also a professor at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine.
He was fired from Cedars-Sinai on Aug. 1, according to a written statement from a hospital spokesperson.
The statement explains Germano was a specialist in scientific computing and did not have any contact with patients. It also indicates he never reported his June 19 arrest or subsequent criminal charges to the hospital.
Cedars-Sinai only learned of the allegations against him upon reading a statement the DA’s office released on July 31, according to the hospital.
In addition to formal felony probation, Germano must attend 52 weeks of sex offender counseling and forfeit any devices that contained images or videos depicting child pornography, according to the DA’s office.
He must also register as a lifetime sex offender.
When he was charged in July with distributing and possessing child pornography, the DA’s office said he could face up to three years and eight months in prison if convicted of all charges.
Santiago said he could not provide further details about the negotiated plea or why prosecutors did not pursue a sentencing that would have included prison time.
The full statement from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is listed below.
Cedars-Sinai is appalled and shocked by Guido Germano’s conduct, and we fully support the legal process that has held him accountable.
On Wednesday, July 31, we learned from a news release issued by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office that it had charged Germano with distributing and possessing child pornography. We also learned from the District Attorney’s news release that Germano had been arrested on June 19 and was released on bond.
Germano, who had been employed at Cedars-Sinai, did not report the arrest or subsequent charges to the organization. Upon learning this information, Cedars-Sinai took immediate action and terminated Germano’s employment as of August 1. Germano was a specialist in scientific computing and did not have any contact with patients.
Cedars-Sinai does not condone illegal activity of any kind and remains committed to protecting the integrity of our employees and the organization.
