Bradford Ferrick was arrested on federal child pornography charges in March 2023. (Screengrab via WCVB)
A doctor of family medicine in Massachusetts was arrested on child pornography charges this week for allegedly possessing thousands of images and videos of child sexual abuse material, authorities say.
Bradford Ferrick, 32, stands accused of one count of possession of child pornography, a complaint filed in federal court shows. At the time of his arrest on Tuesday, he was already on home confinement for related state charges, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received three separate online tips about suspected child pornography being uploaded to the internet in March 2022, the complaint alleges. Those tips were forwarded to the Massachusetts State Police (MSP) that same month who then sent them to the Winchester Police Department in July 2022. In January of this year, the tips were reviewed and a state-and-local investigation commenced.
According to federal authorities, the tips checked out and were associated with an account holder who went by the name of “Tom L” but whose IP addresses linked back to Ferrick’s father and the house the doctor shared with his parents in Winchester – as well as a separate account and IP address connected to Syracuse, New York.
“On February 13, 2023, members of the Winchester PD and members of the MSP Cyber Crime Unit executed the search warrant,” the complaint says. “Ferrick and his parents were all at the residence. All three members of the Ferrick family declined to speak with investigators after they had been read their Miranda warnings.”
In sum, 61 devices containing child pornography were seized from the Winchester home – including external hard drives, computers, cell phones, hidden camera systems, and SD cards, authorities allege.
After that, Ferrick was arrested and charged with four state counts related to the possession of child pornography. He was arraigned on Valentine’s Day and assessed $50,000 cash bail – which he made the next day. The defendant was released to home confinement with various conditions on Feb. 15.
Two days later, the complaint alleges, Ferrick locked one of the seized iPhones remotely in order to “potentially erase evidence on the device.” A second search warrant was granted and an additional 11 devices were seized from the Winchester residence.
Less than a week later, authorities searched another residence rented by the defendant in another Massachusetts city and seized an additional eight devices. This time, all the devices were hidden cameras and USB drives, police say.
The second raid turned up particularly disturbing evidence, according to the federal press release.
“It is alleged that one of the hidden camera devices – which was designed to be worn as a bracelet – was found to contain at least two surreptitiously recorded videos of Ferrick administering medical exams,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. “It is alleged that two minors who investigators believe to be patients could be heard and, at times, partially seen in the videos. Forensic review of the devices seized at both residences remains ongoing.”
The federal complaint contains graphic depictions of the various videos and their filenames allegedly seized from the doctor with a family medicine residency in at least three Bay State cities. Many of the victims appear to be between the ages of 6 to 11 years old, authorities claim.
The complaint also contains a graphic description of a medical examination performed on a boy who says he is “14 years old.”
“I can think of no greater fear as a parent or guardian than potential harm coming to your child,” U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins said. “[W]e allege that this doctor, who held a position of trust with access to children, maintained child sexual abuse material. The investigation is active and ongoing. Members of the public with questions, concerns or any information pertaining to this doctor are strongly encouraged to contact the FBI via the provided form. As members of law enforcement, the safety of children is our highest priority. Together, in close cooperation with the medical facilities where Dr. Ferrick was employed, we will do all that we can to identify the duration and scope of his alleged offenses and proceed accordingly and expeditiously.”
Investigators also provided a footnote to the complaint that says “open-source research on Ferrick’s background” showed that he “lived in the Syracuse, New York area between approximately 2018 and 2022 while he attended State University of New York” and that he graduated in May 2022.
After his graduation, Ferrick began working with Baystate Franklin Family Medicine.
The business released a statement to Boston-based ABC affiliate WCVB.
“We cannot comment on pending criminal charges. Bradford Ferrick has been on unpaid administrative leave from Baystate Franklin Medical Center since mid-February,” the hospital said. “We are cooperating with law enforcement authorities as they proceed with their investigation.”
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