SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — A former dentist has been sentenced to more than three years in federal prison for possession of child porn.

According to the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, 31-year-old Paul Kim pleaded guilty to possession of having thousands of images and videos of minors engaging in sexually-explicit activity.

According to the complaint filed in federal court, Kim was connected to an IP address that had purchased child porn from a known child sexual exploitation ring.

Agents found about 1,948 images and 798 videos of child pornography on the devices.

Investigators say Kim also paid approximately $250 in cryptocurrency to the sexual exploitation ring.

Dr. Kim worked for Dentistry for Children from August 2022 until November 2023. They shared a statement in January that reads:

“We recently learned about the alleged abhorrent behavior involving an Atlanta dentist, Dr. Paul Kim, who worked at Dentistry for Children from August 2022 through November 16, 2023. Dentistry for Children is fully cooperating with authorities. Importantly, we are not aware of any allegations involving any of the practice’s patients, or complaints regarding Dr. Kim or his interactions with patients, staff, or visitors to the practice.

At Dentistry for Children, patient safety is everyone’s top priority, and the practice adheres to robust policies and procedures to ensure the protection of its patients. These measures include:

Prior to being hired, a thorough background check is performed on all staff members and dentists, which includes a review of any local, state, or federal criminal history. These reviews also include ensuring that dentists are actively licensed by the Georgia Board of Dentistry – which maintains their own robust background reviews – to practice in the state.

With respect to Dr. Kim, none of these reviews indicated any concerns, and the first we were alerted to any potential issues involving him was when the news of his arrest broke this week

Finally, our offices follow safety protocols that prohibit 1 on 1 interactions between patients and any member of the practice office team, including dentists, and we have no indication to believe that Dr. Kim failed to maintain those procedures during his tenure at the practice.”

Kim also faces 10 years of supervised release after serving his three years in prison.