Jonathan Phelps, The Eagle-Tribune, North Andover, Mass. –
ANDOVER — Federal agents raided the home of an Andover pediatrician yesterday morning finding more than 500 photographs and as many as 100 DVDs containing child pornography, authorities said.
Dr. Richard Keller, 56, of 10 Cyr Circle, who works as a pediatric endocrinologist at Boston Children’s Hospital and a pediatrics instructor at Harvard Medical School, was arrested during the raid and was charged with receipt of child pornography.
He pleaded not guilty during his arraignment in federal court in Boston, and was ordered held until a detention hearing on Monday. A prosecutor alleged Keller has been involved in dedicated sexual interest in children for several decades.
Keller was previously the medical director at Phillips Academy for 19 years before stepping down in 2011. A statement from the school yesterday did not indicate why he left.
Investigators searched his split-entry home for nearly two hours yesterday morning as Andover police blocked off the entrance to the neighborhood, according to neighbors.
“During the execution of the search warrant, multiple items of computer media were seized,” an affidavit by U.S. Postal Inspector Scott Kelley read. “Also seized from a bedroom were approximately 500 high-gloss print-outs of child pornography and approximately 60 to 100 DVDs of child pornography.”
Many of the lights remained on at home yesterday afternoon, but nobody answered the door.
Keller was immediately place on administrative leave from Children’s Hospital pending the results of the investigation, according to a statement from the hospital.
“We will cooperate fully with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and all other involved regulatory and legal authorities,” the statement read. “No complaints or concerns have been expressed by any patients or family members about the care Dr. Keller provided while he was at Children’s.”
Phillips Academy Head of School John Palfrey sent out a statement saying Keller, a former “faculty member” is no longer employed at the school. “The safety and well-being of our students is our top priority,” he wrote, noting the school is also cooperating with authorities.
Mary Carbone, of 3 Cyr Circle, said Keller and his wife moved onto the street about a year ago and they had a baby shortly after. She said it was overwhelming to have all the law enforcement agents swarm the neighborhood.
“It is a neighborhood, the neighbors come and go. So it was a little shocking,” Carbone said.
Carbone was awakened by a phone call from a neighbor about 7 a.m. informing her of the search. “They turned on all the lights and went through everything,” Carbone said of the investigators.
She described the neighborhood as “tight-knit” and everybody knows each other. She would not comment specifically on Keller or his family.
Several other neighbors gathered on the street yesterday afternoon declined comment.
Keller ordered over 50 DVDs of child pornography online between 2009 and 2011 which were sent to his home, a post office box in town and to the Isham Student Health Center at Phillips Academy, according to court documents.
A group of Phillips Academy students, associated with the school’s student newspaper, stood outside Keller’s home yesterday afternoon. The students’ said an email was sent to the entire student body about the arrest.
Keller, as the head physician on the campus, was well-known on campus, they said.
“I thought he was pretty intelligent, respectable and I’d say trustworthy,” said a senior at the school who wished to remain anonymous. “He was always funny and kind.”
The investigation into Keller began in October 2010, when the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and foreign law enforcement began an investigation into a movie production company outside of the country that operated a website offering DVDs and streaming videos featuring young minor boys, according to the affidavit.
It was determined Keller had purchased materials on multiple occasions from the company. His billing information was obtained after authorities conducted a search warrant on the company in May 2011.
Between July 2009 and January 2011, Keller ordered 19 different times from the company. Those orders included over 50 DVDs, totaling over $2,695, according to the affidavit.
According to the affidavit, the videos feature nude boys under the age of 18 undressing, wrestling, showering and playing Twister.
On five occasions, the DVDs were sent directly to the health center at the school, according to the documents.
The company was the subject of more than 20 complaints to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s Cyber Tipline regarding the sale of child pornography, authorities said.
If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 20 years in prison, to be followed by up to a lifetime of supervised released and a $250,000 fine.
