(CNN) The director of artificial intelligence medicine at Cedars-Sinai hospital has been charged with distributing and possessing child pornography, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said Wednesday.

Guido Germano, 59, of Santa Monica has been accused of distributing child pornography videos using peer-to-peer software and downloading them onto his personal computer at his home, a news release from the DA's office said, citing Deputy District Attorney Angela Brunson of the cyber crime division.

Peer-to-peer sharing bypasses downloading from a web browser and can help a user avoid detection.

Germano pleaded not guilty during a Thursday morning arraignment at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center, Paul Eakins, a public relations officer for the DA's office, said in an email.

CNN could not reach Germano for comment. Dmitry Gorin, the lawyer representing Germano, said through his assistant that he would comment on the case at this time.

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