Bryan W. Corbitt, Child Porn Distribution, Tacoma WA, 2023

TACOMA, WA – A former pediatric intensive care nurse at Portland’s Oregon Health & Science University, Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison for sickening crimes against children. BRYAN W. CORBITT, 44, of Washougal, Washington, received the sentence in U.S. District Court today after admitting to distributing, receiving, and possessing child pornography.

Corbitt was arrested February 16, 2012, following a probe by ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Investigators discovered Corbitt was actively sharing sexually explicit images of children online using a file-sharing program. The depravity didn’t stop there: two undercover law enforcement agents infiltrated his network and confirmed the presence of *thousands* of images on his computer, all freely available for distribution. U.S. District Judge Ronald B. Leighton minced no words at sentencing, stating, “These are serious crimes. These children are victimized, and in your spare time, you persisted in victimizing them in your own way. That’s reprehensible.”

“This defendant betrayed the trust of the medical profession and the children and families he cared for in the pediatric intensive care unit,” declared U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan. “He tried unsuccessfully to hide his crime from law enforcement and from his own family. It is fully appropriate that as part of his supervised release he will have to undergo sex offender treatment.” The ten-year supervised release period is intended to monitor Corbitt’s behavior and provide necessary treatment, but offers little comfort to those impacted by his actions.

Despite attempts to cover his tracks – Corbitt employed “wiping” software on his computer – a forensic examination unearthed a horrifying digital hoard. Investigators recovered 65 image files from the computer’s allocated space, and another 400 or so from the unallocated space. Disturbingly, a separate media storage device containing even *more* images and videos remains unlocated. The investigation revealed particularly chilling details: images of young boys with catheters inserted, seemingly taken within a hospital setting mirroring the one where Corbitt had worked for a decade. The implications are deeply disturbing, given his professional role.

The fallout from Corbitt’s arrest extended beyond the courtroom. Numerous parents, many grieving the recent loss of their children – particularly severely disabled children – contacted the case agent after news broke. Learning that a man entrusted with caring for vulnerable children was also a predator added immeasurable pain to their already devastating losses. “It’s always disheartening when we arrest someone who was in a position of trust for possession of child pornography,” stated Brad Bench, special agent in charge of HSI Seattle. “This case is particularly egregious because the defendant, as a pediatric nurse, had a fundamental duty to protect children, but instead he chose to exploit them through his consumption of Internet child pornography.”

The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Marci Ellsworth. While this sentence brings a measure of justice, the scars of Corbitt’s crimes will undoubtedly linger for years to come. HSI continues its tireless efforts to dismantle networks involved in the production and distribution of child pornography, working to protect the most vulnerable among us.