Med school unaware of doctor's child porn

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BOSTON, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- The University of Massachusetts Medical School says it did not know a doctor it hired was under investigation for child pornography.

Philip Nowicki, 58, pleaded guilty last week in U.S. District Court in Columbus, Ohio, to possessing child pornography and faces up to 10 years in prison, the Boston Herald reported. Authorities said they found 120 illegal images on his computer's hard drive.

UMass "learned of this just last week when charges were made against Mr. Nowicki in federal court in Ohio. According to our HR policies, we placed him on leave pending an investigation," spokeswoman Alison Duffy told the Herald.

"Nowicki was hired by the medical school in 2007 in a research and grant-writing role and had no contact whatsoever with patients," she said. "Because he wasn't applying for a position as a physician, his medical license wasn't a factor in his application."

When federal agents began investigating Nowicki in 2006, he was a pediatrician at a Columbus hospital. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said he used hospital computers to join an overseas Web site with access to illegal photos and videos. After being investigated, he quit and moved to Massachusetts.

He surrendered his Ohio medical license in 2007 before a termination hearing.