Former Hoag oncologist pleads guilty to possession of child pornography after dodging similar charges

A Laguna Beach man who used to practice medicine in Newport Beach and had previously evaded charges alleging possession of lewd photos of children pleaded guilty Wednesday to similar accusations in a separate case.

Mark Albert Rettenmaier, 72, admitted to two out of three counts of possessing child pornography per the terms of a plea agreement. He’s scheduled for sentencing on Aug. 6 and could have faced a maximum of 20 years behind bars per count, representatives for the U.S. attorney’s office said in a news release. But federal prosecutors will recommend he serve no more than five years in prison.

Law enforcement served a warrant at Rettenmaier’s home in July 2020. They seized his Apple iPhone and Macbook Air, which contained one video and over 200 images depicting children in suggestive poses or engaged in sexually explicit behavior, according to prosecutors.

His plea agreement orders him to register as a sex offender and have all of his electronic devices and correspondence monitored. He is barred from living near schools, parks and other facilities that largely serve minors, and he will not be allowed to have any nonessential communication with children.

Rettenmaier used to work as a gynecological oncologist at Hoag Hospital. He stopped practicing after separate allegations of possessing child pornography were filed against him in 2014, and his medical license has been expired since the end of September 2023.

In 2011 technicians at a Best Buy in Chino repairing a hard drive for him discovered disturbing images and contacted the FBI. But charges against Rittenmaier were dropped in 2017 after a judge ruled that photos were obtained from his property as the result of an unlawful search and seizure. U.S. District Judge Cormac Carney found that the affidavit federal agents used to obtain a warrant contained misleading statements.