A former gynecologist from Newport Beach has pleaded guilty to federal charges related to the possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Mark Albert Rettenmaier, aged 72 and residing in Laguna Hills, admitted guilt to two counts of possessing child pornography. He remains free on a $600,000 bond.
According to the plea agreement, Rettenmaier uploaded 15 images of CSAM to an Adobe cloud-based storage system on June 7, 2020. Among these were images depicting two minors, including one under the age of 12, engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
On July 22, 2020, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Rettenmaier's home. They seized his cellphone and laptop, uncovering additional CSAM. The cellphone contained at least two more images while the laptop revealed one video and 209 images of minors involved in sexual activity.
Rettenmaier confessed to knowingly downloading these materials from the internet and storing them on his personal devices.
United States District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett has scheduled a sentencing hearing for August 6. At this time, Rettenmaier could face up to 20 years in federal prison for each count. However, prosecutors have agreed to recommend a sentence not exceeding five years.
Additionally, Rettenmaier must pay a minimum restitution of $3,000 to each of six victims identified in this case, totaling at least $18,000.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI. Assistant United States Attorney Melissa Rabbani from the Orange County Office is handling the prosecution.