Neurologist pleads guilty to charges he groped patients
Source: Associated Press
Anthony Izaguirre, Associated Press
Updated 12:29 pm, Tuesday, November 21, 2017
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A neurologist facing allegations of sexual misconduct in three states pleaded guilty Tuesday to misdemeanor charges that he groped women at a Philadelphia clinic.
Dr. Ricardo Cruciani, 63, admitted that he assaulted seven patients in 2016 while he was chairman of Drexel University's neurology department and pleaded guilty to varying charges of indecent assault and harassment. He will serve seven years' probation, register as a sex offender and will have to forfeit his medical license under his plea agreement.
Three former patients gave statements during the Philadelphia court hearing, each recalling that they believed to have found refuge from debilitating illnesses in the Ivy League-trained neurologist who specializes in rare, complicated syndromes.
Instead, the women said, he touched them inappropriately, whispered seductively in at least one woman's ear and took advantage of the fact that they had few other health care options. They said that their interactions with Cruciani made them distrustful of medical professionals, especially male doctors, and were upset that he wasn't going to be jailed.
Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Neurologist-due-in-Philadelphia-court-on-sex-12373247.php
