They're twin brothers, they're doctors and...

THE Blankenburg twin brothers are well-known paediatricians with a successful practice.

Not only did they share their practice, but the brothers lived together, were not married and were amateur photographers who took lots of pictures for a high school in their community of Hamilton in Ohio.

Now, they can add one more thing in common - being accused of using their practice to molest boys for more than 20 years.

On Friday, an Ohio court found one of them, Mark Blankenburg, 53, guilty.

His twin brother, Scott Blankenburg, will be tried in April next year, reported AFP.

The men are being tried separately because the judge ruled that their identical appearances might confuse the jury.

In all, they face 76 charges of engaging in sex crimes with minors at their practice in the industrial city of Hamilton, sometimes paying the victims some US$200 ($280), prosecutors said.

The charges also involve drug trafficking, child pornography, bribery and money laundering.

Mark Blankenburg, whose trial started last Tuesday, slipped money and prescription drugs to some of the patients after each episode, said Assistant Prosecutor Lance Salyers.

Some of the abuses date back to 1987, according to authorities.

A search of the men's home revealed thousands of photos of teen boys, most of them focusing on body parts, including "316 photographs of one kid basically bending over", said an investigator.

A psychologist called to the stand said some photos on their own may not appear to be suspect, but put together in a collection of thousands of the same type of photos, they become child erotica.

Mr Salyers told the jury: "Dr Blankenburg, for about 20 to 30 years now, has been driven by a specific sexual appetite for teenage boys." Mr Salyers said Blankenburg told the patients, "My lawyer will eat you alive", to keep the boys quiet, reported Dayton Daily News.

But defence attorney Michael Shanks countered that the state's allegations were "flat-out extortion" against his client, a respected paediatrician, noting that one alleged victim is serving a life sentence in prison for attempting to kill a police officer.

(Edit:Ruby)