A Capac physician was sentenced to 15 years in prison Wednesday, March 25 at the U.S. District Court in Detroit for distribution of child pornography.
The sentencing was announced in a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Robert Glapinski, 62, came under investigation in March of 2025 after Michigan State Police received a tip from the Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
According to the tip, images of child pornography were found in Google Chat from an account which had Glapinski’s name and phone number.
Google provided copies of the child sexually abusive material found on Glapinski’s account, including videos depicting the rape of children as young as 4 years old. Google also provided copies of Glapinski’s chat messages, including messages where he reportedly discussed raping minors.
Michigan State Police and the U.S. Secret Service conducted a search warrant at Glapinski’s residence in Mussey in April 2025. During the search, Glapinski reportedly admitted to accessing child pornography multiple times over a 20 year period. Investigators found 3,249 images of child pornography combined during the search.
Glapinski accepted a plea agreement in October. In a memorandum his attorney, Jerome Sabbota, acknowledged the seriousness of Glapinski’s crime, but said his client was ready to take responsibility.
“Without the customer who views and shares it, there would not be a market for this media production,” Sabbota wrote. “Dr. Glapinski understands that. He did not fight the charges. He has acknowledged what he did was wrong and will do whatever he can to rectify this behavior.”
Sabbota also wrote that Glapinski operated his family clinic, Capac Family practice, from 2012 to 2025 without any complaints regarding his interaction with children.
Sabbota submitted letters from Glapinski’s friends and patients which said he had been a professional doctor for years who helped patients without healthcare coverage get the medications they need, helping others at his own expense.
A pre-sentence memorandum from Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara Hindelang emphasized the violent nature of the images Glapinski collected, many depicting the rape of toddlers and infants by adults.
Hindelang also cited an incident after Glapinski’s home was searched in which he reportedly burned several computers and papers. Glapinski reportedly told police it was a brush fire, but an investigation concluded otherwise, leading to Glapinski being jailed and his bond revoked.
“Glapinski played a role in continuing to drive the horrific market for exploitive images of children,” Hindelang wrote in the memorandum. “But, importantly, Glapinski did all of this as a medical doctor who treated and had access to children.”
Contact Johnathan Hogan at jhogan@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Capac doctor sentenced to 15 years for child pornography
Reporting by Johnathan Hogan, Port Huron Times Herald / Port Huron Times Herald
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