Former Medical Resident Sentenced To Child Pornography Charges

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Paula Reid Reid, Special Agent in Charge, United States Secret Service (USSS), Alysa D. Erichs, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), and Daniel J. Oates, Chief, Miami Beach Police Department, announce that U.S. District Judge Robert N. Scola sentenced Daniel Bays, 30, of Clermont, to 52 months in prison, followed by 25 years of supervised release and registration as a sex offender.

In October 2013, officers of the Miami Electronic Crimes Task Force (MECTF) of the USSS and ICE-HSI identified a user on a peer-to-peer file-sharing network who was in possession of files indicative of child pornography. Through investigation, agents identified that Bays, an anesthesiology resident at Jackson Memorial Hospital, was the user.

Through additional investigation, agents determined that the files in Bay’s digital folder matched files that were known to depict child pornography. From approximately August 7, 2013, through December 4, 2013, the shared folder associated with Bay’s username had displayed over 700 videos with titles indicative of child pornography.

On December 11, 2013, MECTF, assisted by the Miami Beach Police Department, executed a federal search warrant at Bay’s residence, located in Miami Beach. Inside the residence, the agents found Bay’s laptop computer. After conducting a forensic analysis of the computer, law enforcement found images and videos that depicted child pornography that had been downloaded using a peer-to-peer file-sharing program.

On January 10, 2014, a federal grand jury sitting in the Southern District of Florida returned a one-count indictment, charging Bays with possessing child pornography. On April 14, 2014, Bays pled guilty to this crime.

Mr. Ferrer commends the investigative efforts of USSS, ICE-HSI and the Miami Beach Police Department for their assistance and their work on this case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cristina Moreno.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.