Surgeon Pleads Guilty to Sexually Assaulting Patients

A California surgeon has pleaded guilty to 36 charges of sexual battery by fraud after inappropriately touching dozens of female patients.

Peter Chi, MD, the 47-year-old former medical director of the now defunct Beauty Renewed Laser Skin Center in Tracy, Calif., will be sentenced by the San Joaquin County Superior Court on April 4, 2011, for up to 6 years in state prison, according to the Medical Board of California. Upon the board's request, the court has also prohibited Dr. Chi, a board-certified otolaryngologist who also performed cosmetic procedures, from practicing medicine in the state.

The Medical Board of California filed an accusation against Dr. Chi on March 13, 2009, after the Tracy Police Department received 8 complaints of sexual misconduct from female patients.

After the initial charges were made public, more victims came forward. A source with knowledge of the assaults says a majority of the victims filed similar complaints following cosmetic procedures performed by Dr. Chi. The source says that after a female patient was anesthetized, Dr. Chi would send the attending nurse out of the procedure room. He'd then rub the patient's clitoris and insert his finger in her vagina. Some victims complained that Dr. Chi also fondled their breasts. The 36 attacks reportedly began in 2007 and continued until Dr. Chi's arrest, according to the source, who says the victims ranged in age from 15 to 63 years old.

The patient who initially charged Dr. Chi reportedly awoke while being assaulted. She claims Dr. Chi realized she was awake and adjusted the anesthesia to render her unconscious again. On her way home following the procedure, the victim relayed what she experienced to a friend, who urged her to contact the police.

She did, but the authorities told her that their subsequent investigation revealed no wrongdoing by Dr. Chi, who denied all charges. If that's true, the victim reportedly asked police, why does he repeatedly call my cell phone? The police had her place a pretextual call to Dr. Chi, which provided the incriminating evidence that led to his arrest.

Last May, Dr. Chi settled 32 civil lawsuits filed against him for $1.8 million, according to a published report. Dr. Chi is required to register as a sex offender for life, according to the criminal complaint filed in the San Joaquin County Superior Court.

"The criminal and civil justice systems were effective in punishing Dr. Chi," says attorney Rob Waters, who represented eight of the victims in the civil proceedings. "He'll spend a lot of time in the custody of the state and will also compensate the victims for the damage he caused by his horrific actions."

Dr. Chi's criminal defense attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Daniel Cook

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