Updated | A former chairman of Drexel University's neurology department who pleaded guilty to previous sexual misconduct toward his patients at a Philadelphia clinic was arrested Tuesday and charged with raping a patient multiple times in New York City.
Currently in police custody, Dr. Ricardo Cruciani, 63, will be arraigned in New York on charges of rape and other sex crimes, according to local Philadelphia reports.
Hillary Tullin, 45, who said she was abused between 2005 and 2012, reportedly gave testimony to a grand jury about two weeks ago, the Associated Press said.
"I don't know that he's going to go gently into the good night, but I'm very hopeful," Tullin told the AP, which said she called a sexual abuse hotline to report the assault. "He needs to be locked up."
In November, Cruciani pleaded guilty to seven counts of sexual misconduct. Under a plea deal, he was sentenced to seven years' probation and forfeited his medical license. He was also required to register as a Tier 1 sex offender, the least serious of the three sex offender tiers.
"I'm truly sorry if I caused any harm or any pain," Cruciani said at the hearing.
In issuing his sentence, Philadelphia Municipal Court Judge Gerard Kosinski said the doctor gave his victims "a lifetime of pain."
Drexel University fired Cruciani last March after an internal investigation spurred by allegations of former patients who said Cruciani had groped them. A criminal investigation was also underway, along with additional ones in New York and New Jersey.
At least 17 women across Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey have accused Cruciani of sexual misconduct dating back at least 12 years, the AP said in November.
Cruciani had worked at Mount Sinai Beth Israel hospital in New York before working for Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton, New Jersey, from 2014 to 2016.
"We are deeply disturbed to learn about these charges and have been working closely with the investigation being led by the District Attorney's office," said a Mount Sinai Health System statement to Newsweek.
Although Cruciani's employment with Beth Israel Medical Center ended in 2014 before the Center became part of the Mount Sinai Health System, the statement highlighted Sinai's commitment "to a safe environment for all patients, faculty, staff, students, trainees and visitors."
Although Cruciani's employment with Beth Israel Medical Center ended in 2014 before the center became part of the Mount Sinai Health System, the statement highlighted a commitment "to a safe environment for all patients, faculty, staff, students, trainees and visitors."
This article has been updated with a comment from the Mount Sinai Health System.
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