GALVESTON -- Dr. Dennis Hughes, a Pediatric Oncologist employed by MD Anderson Cancer Center accused of Federal Possession of Child Pornography, arrived for his Preliminary Exam and Detention hearing at the Federal Courthouse here Wednesday (June 10) afternoon.

The FBI confiscated large numbers of pornographic files containing images of children from Hughes’s Pearland home on Friday (June 5) and Hughes confessed to the crime.

U.S. District Magistrate Judge John Froeschner presided over the hearing.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri Zack represented the prosecution and attorney Neal Davis represented the defense.

Prosecution witness Special Agent Kelly Berry with the FBI helped establish the details of the case, beginning with an international investigation that the FBI was conducting in which Dr. Hughes was identified after his computer’s IP address was determined when he logged on to an underground website run by the government.

The FBI subpoenaed the physical address associated with the IP address and were led to Hughes’s residence in Pearland, where they served a search warrant on June 5. Hughes’s wife and three children were present during the search.

SA Berry testified that Hughes was cooperative with law enforcement and admitted to possessing about 10GB of child pornography. She said that she believed that Mrs. Hughes and the children were not aware of Hughes’s activities.

Berry said that UT-HSC Police had been called in before the search to seize Hughes’s work computer, on which some pornographic images were found.

The defense called Dr. Hughes’s wife to the stand and asked questions that painted a picture of a loving husband and father who volunteered at his children’s’ school, attended Catholic church and served as an Assistant Coach for several years for Pearland Little League.

Dr. Hughes wept as he listened to his wife tearfully answer questions.

Mrs. Hughes and SA Berry both testified that there was no known evidence of any inappropriate contact between Hughes and either his own children or any children from the larger community, including his patients.

Judge Froeschner granted the defense’s motion for pre-trial release, setting Hughes’s bond at $50,000.

There are numerous conditions that Hughes will have to abide by, such as not accessing the Internet and not being around minor children without responsible adult supervision.

Davis indicated that Hughes entered a plea of Not Guilty of the offense of Federal Possession of Child Pornography, which means that a trial will be held in the future unless the defense and prosecution work out a plea bargain.

Hughes is currently on paid leave from MD Anderson Cancer Center, and his privileges at the hospital have been suspended. It is unknown whether or not Mrs. Hughes would continue receiving his paychecks should he be incarcerated.

Dr. Hughes is ultimately facing a minimum of five years in federal prison, with a maximum possible sentence of 20 years.