JOINT INVESTIGATION RESULTS IN ARREST OF UNIVERSITY OF UTAH DOCTOR FOR POSSESSION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
Special Agent-In-Charge Timothy J. Fuhrman, Salt Lake City Field Office of the FBI, Brett Tolman, United States Attorney, District of Utah, and Chief Scott Folsom, University of Utah Police Department, announced the arrest of Dr. WILLIAM JOHN ZWIEBEL, 62, of Salt Lake City, on one count of Possession of Child Pornography. ZWIEBEL was a Professor of Radiology at the University of Utah School of Medicine and Chief of the Imaging Services Unit, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salt Lake City, Utah.
On September 20, 2006, the FBI was contacted by the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office and the University of Utah Police Department concerning allegations that ZWIEBEL had images of child pornography on his computer at his place of employment at the University of Utah. In only a few days, it was determined there was enough information to go forward with a federal complaint against ZWIEBEL. On September 25, 2006, a formal federal complaint was filed against ZWIEBEL and he was arrested at his residence the same day without incident. As a result of this joint investigation, ZWIEBEL was charged with one count of Possession of Child Pornography, a violation of Title 18, USC Section 2252 A.
Prior to this charge, ZWIEBEL was employed at the University of Utah School of Medicine and at the Department of Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center. On August 31, 2006, employees of the Informational Technology Department at the University of Utah discovered possible images of child pornography on ZWIEBEL’s work computer. ZWIEBEL was placed on administrative leave and he resigned from his position at the university on September 8, 2006. Hundreds of still images and videos, involving prepubescent children engaged in sexual acts with adults, were discovered on ZWIEBEL’s computer by law enforcement authorities. ZWIEBEL appeared in federal court this morning for his initial appearance on this charge He remains in the custody of the US Marshals Service until a detention hearing can be held on September 27, 2006 at 1:45 PM concerning this charge. If ZWIEBEL is found guilty of this charge, he is subject to a five year mandatory prison term. |
