A month long trial finally ended in New York City after a jury found a former neurologist guilty of rape and other sex crimes. Prosecutors confirmed that he got patients hooked on pain medication to keep them under his control.
On Friday, 68-year-old Ricardo Cruciani was found guilty on 12 counts of predatory sexual assault, sexual abuse, rape and other crimes.
“Ricardo Cruciani abused his power as a medical professional and knowingly took advantage of his patients’ pain. We entrust doctors to respect our bodies and health when we go to them for help, yet Dr. Cruciani utterly violated that duty,” said District Attorney Alvin Bragg in a press release. “Dr. Cruciani left in his wake six survivors who continue to suffer from debilitating diseases, and now, years of trauma.”
Cruciani, who gave up his medical license in 2017 as part of a plea deal in a separate case, was considered a highly esteemed neurologist in his field and regarded as a gifted doctor in relieving chronic pain.
However, six women who were patients being treated by Cruciani in 2012 at Beth Israel medical center (now known as Mount Sinai Beth Israel), accused him of developing personal relationships with each patient and using his psychiatry training to ask intrusive and revealing questions about private matters.
Cruciani initiated physical contact with victims by stroking their hair in the beginning. He would then compliment their appearances and gave them uncomfortable tight hugs. After he would use these tactics to engage the women, Cruciani would then escalate his behavior by calling the patients at their homes. He would claim he called because he was thinking about them.
“Cruciani frequently forced his patients to perform sexual acts in order to receive prescriptions for addictive pain medications. Cruciani over-prescribed high doses of pain medications to the point of addiction, which ensured his patients could not leave his care despite the abuse,” the District Attorney stated.
When patients sought outside care, some doctors refused to see them because of the dangerously high doses they were prescribed. The survivors were left with opioid addictions, sexual trauma, and without proper medical care for their extremely rare and painful diseases.
Following the guilty verdict, survivor Hillary Tullin, who testified at the trial, said, “I’m beyond happy with the court’s decision. As much as I’ve gone through trauma counseling and therapy,” she told the Times. “I don’t think it was until I got this verdict that I could finally say, I can start healing. I can start trying to rebuild my life again.”
However, Cruciani’s attorney claims they plan on appealing the verdict. “It appears that the collective weight of six accusers, rather than a fair consideration of each of their problematic accounts, carried the day,” attorney Fred Sosinsky said.
Cruciani is also facing federal charges in an indictment accusing him of abusing multiple patients for more than 15 years at his offices in New York City, Philadelphia and New Jersey, according to an indictment report.
Cruciani is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 14.
JAIL FOR LIFE ! PLEASE
This is EXACTLY like something that trump would do. “Grab her by the pussy!!” as that loser would say….
are you okay??