A pediatric doctor at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston has been released on bond as he faces charges of receipt and possession of child pornography.
Dr. Dennis Patrick Hughes was freed on $50,000 bond Wednesday night following a detention hearing in Galveston.
The FBI on Friday raided the 49-year-old physician's home in Pearland as part of an international investigation. Court documents indicate agents recovered thousands of child porn images from the doctor's personal computer devices.
An attorney for Hughes has said the doctor will plead not guilty and has never had improper contact with minors.
Hughes, if convicted, faces up to 20 years in prison for possession of child pornography. The receipt of child porn charge carries a penalty of up to five years.
Hughes was put on paid administrative leave as M.D. Anderson authorities notify his patients about the allegations. Hospital officials have not found anything improper on his work computers.
