Staff report
NEWBERRY, Fla. – Chintan Vimalkumar Shah, 40, of Newberry, who was arrested Wednesday on child pornography charges, is now facing additional offenses as investigators continue reviewing seized digital evidence. Shah was formerly listed as a nephrologist at UF Health Shands Hospital and a Clinical Assistant Professor in the UF Nephrology Department, though pages previously associated with him have since been removed from UF’s website.
The case began with a CyberTip involving a Kik account accused of sharing a 25-second video showing a nude pre-pubescent female child. According to the report, the clip appeared to be a screen recording from a cell phone displaying multiple video thumbnails, each apparently showing nude or partially nude pre-pubescent female children. Investigators reported that many of the videos depicted children stimulating themselves, and at about the 11-second mark, one video was opened in full-screen view showing a nude pre-pubescent female child doing the same.
Details of the investigation that initially led to Shah’s arrest were outlined in our previous article.
After Shah’s arrest, Alachua County Sheriff’s detectives extracted data from his cell phone and reported finding 34 child sexual abuse images, including both conventional images and AI-generated images. Investigators said one of the images appeared to be a screenshot from the video connected to the original CyberTip. Three files cited in the new charges reportedly depict nude pre-pubescent female children, with two showing the children stimulating themselves.
Shah was initially charged with possession of child pornography, possession of child pornography with intent to promote the material, and unlawful use of a two-way communications device. The newly filed charges include three additional counts of possession of child pornography and three counts related to knowingly reproducing, receiving, or disseminating child sexual abuse material using a computer. Shah has no criminal history, and his total bail has been set at $580,000.
According to the arrest report, more charges may follow as investigators continue examining Shah’s cell phone and other devices seized at the time of his arrest.
Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
