(RepublicanNews.org) – A 20-year prison sentence has been handed down to a now-former New York City gynecologist who violated, molested, and abused scores of female patients during examinations over the course of his career. 64-year-old Robert Hadden received his two-decade sentence on July 25th after previously avoiding prison following an earlier prosecution for similar charges.
Misconduct allegations against the gynecologist first appeared in 2012. The doctor was eventually indicted on state charges two years later after a total of 19 women had come forward.
Hadden was spared jail in a 2016 plea agreement with the Manhattan DA that required him to turn over his medical license and plead guilty to two lesser felonies and a misdemeanor. The arrangement also kept Hadden from being placed on New York’s offender registry.
Outraged victims took their story to the media and federal prosecutors responded to the coverage by convening a grand jury in 2020. Hadden was then indicted based on the fact that many of his victims had crossed state lines when visiting him in New York for treatment. He was eventually convicted in January of 2023.
Prosecutors focused their case against Hadden on dozens of provable instances of abuse but also acknowledged that more than 245 women have come forward with allegations of molestation. Many of the victims were only minors when the doctor violated them.
Presiding Judge Richard Berman told the court a day before he passed sentence that the Hadden case was “like no other.” He called his actions “beyond extraordinary.”
The judge was referencing both the number of victims and the scope of compensatory victims payouts. Institutions that employed Hadden have agreed to settle civil claims totaling over $236 million. The sum will be split among more than 200 former patients of the doctor.
Federal guidelines for Hadden’s actions recommend a sentence of four to five years, but Judge Berman said his crimes were extreme enough to merit a 20-year confinement.
Copyright 2023, RepublicanNews.org
