Many Albany parents spend considerable time researching and comparing pediatricians before they ultimately choose one for their child. Unfortunately, some physicians are so good at putting up a caring façade that parents may not notice a darker side to their child's pediatrician. It seems a 53-year-old physician from Long Island did just that, but was fortunately arrested in 2010 on suspicion of sexually abusing his minor female patients. Now, he has been charged with new, additional crimes.
Although it is extremely important to lock up people who commit sex crimes, it is also important to seek compensation for those victims who were sexually abused as children. Being a juvenile victim of sexual abuse can cause horrible emotional, psychological and physical damage and many parents do not have the money to provide sufficient care to a victimized child. Filing a civil sexual abuse lawsuit against the abuser or a third party who is partially responsible for the abuse can, however, provide families with the money they need to heal and move forward.
The pediatrician who was arrested over 1 1/2 years ago was allegedly abusing his female patients, some as young as 11-years-old. Police say that he would film and photograph the nude girls and was creating a manual on how to exploit children on his computer. In some cases, the pediatrician drugged the girls before he allegedly molested them.
Now, federal prosecutors are leveling even more criminal charges against the doctor, including 36 federal charges of health care fraud and sexual exploitation of children. Prosecutors say they are specifically investigating the assault of three patients over the span of four months in 2007 and 2008.
Luckily, while the criminal aspects of this case are dealt with and the parents and families of these victimized girls are deciding whether a civil lawsuit is an appropriate option, the man has remained in jail on $5 million bail since his initial arrest.
Source: Reuters, "N.Y. pediatrician faces new sex abuse, fraud charges," Jonathan Allen, Jan. 12, 2012
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