Fired Folsom Nurse Indicted On Federal Child Pornography Charges

FOLSOM (CBS13) - A federal grand jury has indicted a former Folsom hospital nurse on charges of producing or attempting to produce child pornography.

The four-count indictment alleges Daniel Ratner produced the images involving a child last August and tried to create similar material with six other children.

Read Federal Indictment: US V RATNER

Investigators say Ratner tried to hire the first victim to make child porn last May. He then tried again a few months later and was able to allegedly get the minor to "engage in sexually explicit conduct for...visual depictions of such conduct."

Investigators say he tried to get six other children to do the same. Meanwhile, he was allegedly preying on a victim he could easily take advantage of, while on the job as a nurse at Mercy Folsom.

The now-fired nurse is accused of sexually abusing a female patient in the intensive care unit of the prestigious hospital. Ratner allegedly took pictures of her in compromising positions.

No one answered Ratner's door when CBS13 came knocking, but a neighbor said the suspect lives with his wife, who is also an ICU nurse.

Federal court documents filed in the child porn case say investigators collected potential evidence from the home, including a clock radio, computer and external hard drive from Ratner's Folsom home on Nov. 23.

CBS13 asked Mercy Folsom staff whether anymore patients came forward to claim they were victimized by Ratner. They say they're continuing to work with police and on their own internal investigation. If Ratner is found guilty, he faces up to 30 years in prison for each of the four federal counts.

He's facing state charges for the allegations at the hospital and now has the federal indictment hanging over him as well. A judge raised Ratner's bail from $75,000 to $500,000 earlier this week.