Judge halts potential release of Sacramento-area doctor accused in child porn case

A judge has halted the potential release of a Sacramento-area doctor accused of possessing and distributing child pornography, staying an order Thursday by a magistrate judge that would have allowed him to get out of jail next week under monitoring.

U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley issued a stay of the magistrate judge’s order Friday afternoon and ordered the defendant’s lawyers and prosecutors to file briefs on whether Dr. Khursheed Haider can safely be released pending the outcome of his case.

Haider, 48, is being held at the Sacramento County Main Jail on charges of distributing and possession child pornography, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexis Klein argued in a court filing Friday that Haider poses a “grave danger” to the community if he is released.

Using an online application, Haider “posted videos in chat rooms depicting very young boys and girls being sexually assaulted,” Klein wrote in opposing Haider’s release. “Defendant also provided details about how he would like to see infants, toddlers, and prepubescent minors raped and sexually abused.”

Court documents say the FBI found more than 600 images and videos of child pornography on one of Haider’s laptops and at least 11 videos on his iPhone that had been viewed as recently as Nov. 10.

Klein argued that Haider, a U.S. citizen from Pakistan, is a flight risk who has traveled overseas at least 14 times since 2014, “including a 14-day solo trip to Pakistan and Dubai less than two weeks ago.”

“It is significant that defendant has taken many trips abroad where he is flying into one destination, like Istanbul, and out of another, like Dubai,” Klein wrote. “In 2023 alone, he made two round trips to Dubai; since 2019, he’s made five trips out of the country.

“Defendant’s access to significant resources, family ties abroad, and his frequent, sometimes lengthy travel abroad presents a risk of nonappearance.”

Klein also raised concerns about Haider having access to his four children, who range in age from 3 to 18, and argued that as a doctor he may have “access to minors through his work, either via telehealth or at hospitals where he has privileges.

Haider attorney Michael Pinkerton argued in a filing that Haider was not a flight risk and “is a respected and responsible member of the community in general and the medical community in particular.”

Pinkerton noted that Haider “has resided in the Sacramento area for a decade and has deep roots in the community.” He also argued that Haider poses no threat to his four children, and offered to have the pulmonologist “live in a hotel or other rental property away from his residence” pending the resolution of his case.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Allison Claire on Thursday ordered the release of Haider on $500,000 bail and strict conditions that he wears a monitoring device, not return to his Roseville home and have no unsupervised contact with minors. But she stayed her own order to give the government time to seek an order from Nunley revoking any release.

Nunley’s order gives Haider’s attorneys until Tuesday to file arguments supporting his release, and gave prosecutors until Thursday to reply.

Haider was arrested on a criminal complaint Nov. 20 and indicted by a federal grand jury on Thursday.

“If convicted of distribution of child pornography, Haider faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison, a lifetime of supervised release, restitution, and a $250,000 fine,” U.S. Attorney Phil Talbert’s office said in a new release. “If convicted of possession of child pornography, Haider faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison, a lifetime of supervised release, restitution, and a $250,000 fine.”