Louisiana Pediatrician Sentenced After Child Pornography Investigation

BATON ROUGE, LA (KPEL) — A Louisiana pediatric cardiologist was sentenced Tuesday after being arrested for possession of child pornography.

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The Advocate reported that Homeland Security Investigations recieved a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding Antonio Felipe Belda, and an investigation was launched to investigate his online activity.

East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office deputies who also work on the Louisiana Bureau of Investigations' Cyber Crimes Unit discovered explicit content traced to Belda's Google account and IP address, and child pornography he personally uploaded, according to The Advocate.

Belda made a hobby out of recording secret videos of women and young girls in public spaces and zooming in on their private parts before trading them for similar content or uploading them on pornography websites.

The investigation uncovered at least 105 videos he filmed as a practicing pediatrician in common areas such as the LSU Student Union, where girls as young as 15 were videotaped without their consent.

Belda zoomed in on the females’ buttocks and crotch regions so closely their genitalia were visible through their underwear. He then edited the videos and uploaded footage online through a MediaFire account

After officials obtained a search warrant and seized a hard drive from his home office, where the explicit material was being stored.

In November of last year, Belda pleaded guilty in federal court and confirmed his illegal online activity dated back to December 2020.

Despite his apologies and tears, Belda was sentenced to 10 years behind bars for his crimes.

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