A Texas Doctor Will Not Serve Jail Time After Raping A Patient While She Was Sedated
Shafeeq Sheikh lost his medical license and his job, but he won’t serve time behind bars for the attack.
Claudia KoernerBuzzFeed News Reporter
A Houston doctor was sentenced to 10 years probation Friday after being convicted of raping a patient in her hospital bed while she was heavily sedated.
Shafeeq Sheikh, 46, lost his medical license and his job after he was arrested, but he won’t serve time behind bars. He will have to register as a sex offender for life.
The assault took place in 2013 at Ben Taub General Hospital, where the victim, a 27-year-old woman, was being treated for a severe asthma attack. The victim, identified by local media as Laura, said she was in and out of consciousness after being sedated when a male doctor came into her room.
Laura told her story to the Houston Chronicle in 2015, and she also recounted the attack in a lawsuit against the hospital. According to Laura, Sheikh came into her room and told her he needed to examine her chest. He then touched her breast and vagina, and she told the Chronicle she knew she was being attacked.
Laura frantically tried to use her bedside call button to summon a nurse to the room, but it was disconnected. Sheikh left her room, then came back and repeated his behavior. He came back a third time and raped her.
The next morning, Laura reported the crime and also sought a rape kit. That DNA evidence would ultimately be helpful in the investigation — Sheikh’s profile could not be ruled out. Surveillance video and his hospital ID badge also placed him on her floor the night of the attack.
Sheikh was arrested in 2015, two years after the attack. After reviewing the evidence, the Texas Medical Board suspended his license, citing his “continuing threat to public welfare.”
After finding him guilty, jurors recommended he be sentenced to only probation. Sentencing for second-degree sexual assault, which includes rape in Texas, may be punished with anywhere from two to 20 years in prison.
At trial, Sheikh testified that the sex had been consensual. He told the judge and jury that the woman had touched his penis and taken off her underwear, the Chronicle reported.
His defense lawyer also showed the jury photos from Laura’s Instagram account, where she posted sexy photos to 14,000 followers as part of her job promoting a clothing boutique.
“He made a mistake, but he didn’t sexually assault her,” attorney Lisa Andrews argued, according to the Chronicle. “Here we have this Latina woman with her fake boobs that came onto that little nerdy middle-aged guy, and he lost his mind.”
The prosecutor, Assistant District Attorney Lauren Reeder, said that was ridiculous and reminded the jury how vulnerable patients in a hospital are.
In her 2015 interview with the Chronicle, Laura described her terror during the attack and how helpless she felt.
“It’s the feeling that you can’t do anything,” she said. “You can’t do anything to save yourself.”
18 y/o Wisconsin man charged with 1st degree
child sexual assault
By: Deb Brazil
LA CROSSE, Wis. (WKBT) - A La Crosse man was charged in La Crosse County Court Monday with the sexual assault of child.
Canady admitted to the incident and told police he had been going through counseling for similar behavior two years ago.
According to the complaint, Canady told police, "I need help", multiple times throughout the interview.
Canady is charged with 1st Degree Sexual Assault of a Child under the age of 13.
Another 18 y/o charged as adult in
child sex abuse case in PA
WAYNESBORO -- A man accused of sexually abusing a child when he was 17 has been charged as an adult for his alleged actions.
Franklin County Detective D. J. Rush filed the charges against Moats after the victim was interviewed in May at the Over the Rainbow Children’s Advocacy Center in Chambersburg and after interviewing Moats in June at the Waynesboro Police Department, according to court documents. The victim described what happened at a Waynesboro home in the month before Christmas 2017.
Both Moats and the victim said Moats had anal intercourse with the victim, according to court documents. Moats said that afterward he allowed the victim to play his video game.
The detective read Moats the Miranda warning on June 13, and Moats agreed to an interview, according to court records. Moats said during the interview that he has problems controlling his sexual urges.
A preliminary hearing for Moats is set for 8:15 a.m. on Aug. 28 in Franklin County Central Court at the courthouse in Chambersburg.
Elementary school custodian appears in court facing
child sex abuse charges
Ashley Stilson Daily Herald A Spanish Fork elementary school janitor appeared in court on Monday after he allegedly sexually abused two male students at the school where he works.
Villar, a Santaquin resident, is not in custody and is currently on administrative leave at Santaquin Elementary School in Santaquin.
At the time of the sexual assault, Villar worked as the janitor at Sierra Bonita Elementary School in Spanish Fork. Both elementary schools are in the Nebo School District.
One 8-year-old boy told police Villar abused him while they were alone in the school bathroom in February 2017, according to a police report. The janitor allegedly asked the boy to “keep it a secret and not tell anyone," the report stated.
Security footage from the school showed Villar entered the same bathroom as the victim for a short period of time, police reported.
Another 11-year-old boy told police that Villar abused him in the school’s shed. The next day, Villar apologized “over and over” to the boy and asked him to keep the abuse a secret, according to the report.
The incident caused the second boy to become depressed and “scared to go to school,” the report stated. The boy said he would pretend to be sick so he wouldn’t have to go to school to see Villar.
During an interview with police, Adrian admitted to knowing both boys and having involvements with them. He denied ever touching either boy, the report stated. He was arrested on a $15,000 cash-only bail.
The boys do not know one another and are not connected in any way, according to police.
Villar was put on administrative leave after Nebo School District was notified by law enforcement he had been arrested, according to a written statement from the district. “Nebo School District is cooperating completely with law enforcement in this investigation and arrest that allegedly occurred in the employee’s previous assignment,” the statement reads.
Villar's next scheduled court appearance is set for Oct. 22.
Case dismissed against Maine child sex abuse suspect after his suicide
By Catherine Pegram NOBLEBORO, Maine (WABI) - The case against a Nobleboro man accused of sexually abusing a child has been dropped after the suspect killed himself.
67-year-old Steven Ridley was arrested almost two weeks ago.
An investigation started in July.
Ridley was also charged with giving liquor to a minor.
A Knox County prosecutor says Ridley committed suicide four days after his arrest.
The case was dismissed last week.
Did the poor fool think he could escape punishment for his crimes? Was he just so ashamed that he couldn't live with himself. There is no escaping the shame and the consequences of evil except to face it, take the sentence, beg God to forgive you, and never repeat such actions again. There is, ultimately, forgiveness, but it needs to be accessed in this lifetime.
Florida man sentenced for traveling to Dominican Republic for child sex
MIAMI – A Florida man was sentenced Thursday to more than 17 years in prison and 30 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to traveling to the Dominican Republic for engaging in illicit sexual conduct with minors. The sentencing is the result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Miami and the Dominican Republic.
According to court documents, Theodore Williams Symonds, 51, of Wesley Chapel, Florida, travelled frequently between the United States and the Dominican Republic including a trip on March 20, 2017. Symonds was arrested March 23, 2017 by local Dominican authorities for crimes related to the sexual abuse of children. HSI began investigating him shortly thereafter and uncovered proof of Symonds’ sexual abuse of children, both in person and using the internet.
“This sentence should send a powerful message to child predators who believe that they can evade law enforcement by using international travel to engage in this type of reprehensible behavior,” said Mark Selby, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Miami. “Sexual exploitation of children is a despicable crime that will never be tolerated. HSI will continue to work closely with its law enforcement partners around the world so that sexual predators are always brought to justice.”
U.S. Attorney Benjamin Greenberg said, “The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners stand united against child exploitation and abuse. There is no immunity for these heinous crimes, whether committed at home or abroad. Any individual who victimizes the most vulnerable members of society, our children, can look to today’s sentencing to see there will be severe consequences within the U.S. federal criminal justice system.”
This investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 16,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2017, more than 2,700 child predators were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 900 victims identified or rescued.
HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.
Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.
For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page. HSI is a founding member of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.
35 Joliet Area Priests Named with 'Credible'
Child Sex Abuse Allegations
Joliet's bishop addressed the Catholic church scandal In Pennsylvania in a letter circulated over the weekend.
By John Ferak, Patch Staff
JOLIET, IL - Over the weekend, the Diocese of Joliet circulated a letter from Bishop Daniel Conlon regarding the child abuse scandal in Pennsylvania that made national news. "This week the Pennsylvania Grand Jury released a report which details allegations of child abuse over a period of 70 years. The numbers are staggering," Conlon's statement informed Roman Catholics across the Joliet diocese. "Words cannot adequately express the level of anger, pain and humiliation felt by people of faith, including myself."
Conlon's letter went on to explain that the Joliet diocese just passed an audit conducted by the FBI to review the application and management of criminal background checks. Additionally, Conlon reminded everyone that "the diocese first published a list of diocesan priests with credible allegations of sexual abuse of minors over a decade ago. It can be found on our website. I pledge to you that anyone with a credible allegation will not be returned to ministry." Here is Bishop Conlon's full letter.
Over the weekend, Patch visited the Joliet diocese's website and realized that the data about Joliet's troubled priests is indeed posted on the church's website, but it is not easy for the public to find.
Utilizing the data, here's a listing of the priests "with a credible allegation of sexual abuse of minors made against them while serving in the Joliet diocese." The document was last updated October 2016.
1. JAMES "JIM" BURNETT
Ordained 1968
Removed from ministry in 2006
2. ANDREW BUCZYNA
Ordained 1987
Removed from ministry in 2008
3. PHILIP DEDERA
Ordained 1972
Removed from ministry in 2002
4. WILLIAM DUGAL
Ordained 1972
Removed from ministry in 2002, died in 2009
5. LOWELL FISCHER
Ordained 1954
Removed from ministry in 2002, died in 2006.
6. ALEJANDRO FLORES
Ordained 2009
Removed from ministry in 2010
7. SALVATORE 'SAL' FORMUSA
Ordained 1935
Removed from ministry 2002, died in 2006
8. JAMES FREDERICK
Ordained 1959
Died 1988
9. JOHN FURDEK
Ordained 1984
Removed 2000
10. MICHAEL GIBBNEY
Ordained 1975
Removed 1992
11. LAWRENCE GIBBS
Ordained 1973
Removed 1992
12. CARROLL HOWLIN
Ordained 1961
Removed 2002, died 2005
13. FREDERICK LENCZYCKI
Ordained 1972
Removed 2002
14. JOHN MALZONE
Ordained 1955
LEFT THE MINISTRY: 1970, died 2008
15. LEONARDO MATEO
Ordained 1956
Removed Left diocese 1984, died 2004
16. ANTHONY MEIS
Ordained 1972
Removed 2002, died 2015
17. LAWRENCE MULLINS
Ordained 1977
Removed 1993
18. JAMES NOWAK
Ordained 1967
Removed 2012
19. DONALD O'CONNOR
Ordained 1964
Removed 2002, died 2011
20. DONALD POCK
Ordained 1958
Removed 2002, died 2004
21. EDWARD POFF
Ordained 1958
Removed 2002
22. ANTHONY ROSS
Ordained 1972
Removed 2002
Ross was ordained in Joliet but left in 1997 for the Diocese of Santa Rosa in California. Ross was removed from ministry by the Diocese of Santa Rosa in 2002.
23. RICHARD RUFFALO
Ordained 1959
Died in 1997
24. LEE RYAN
Ordained 1968
Removed 2010, died 2016
25. HENRY SLADE
Ordained 1969
Removed 1990, died 2016
26. JOHN SLOWN
Ordained 1959
Removed 1986
27. EDWARD STEFANICH
Ordained 1965
Removed 1987
28. CHARLES VAN DUREN
Ordained 1952
Died 1997
The diocese received a credible accusation(s) after his death.
29. MYLES WHITE
Ordained 1968
Removed 1992, died 2012
30. ARNO DENNERLEIN
Ordained 1969
Removed 2003
Listed as a priest with credible allegations with a continuing Canonical process
31. GERALD SIMONELLI
Ordained 1990
Removed 2010
Listed as a priest with credible allegations with a continuing Canonical process
32. WILLIAM "Bill" VIRTUE
Ordained 1975
Removed 2006,
Ordained in Joliet, sent to Diocese of Peoria in 1988, removed from ministry in 2006 by Peoria. Virtue is also listed as a priest with credible allegations with a continuing Canonical process.
33. PAUL DINAN
Ordained 1937
Died 1996
Listed as priest with credible allegations but unresolved; credible accusation(s) received after death.
34. JAMES STORM
Ordained 1952
Died 1974
Listed as priest with credible allegations but unresolved; credible accusation(s) received after death.
35. OLIVER WALSH
Ordained 1960
Died 1975
Listed as priest with credible allegations but unresolved; credible accusation(s) received after death.
Idaho man sentenced to rider for child sex abuse, maintains innocence
JOHNATHAN HOGAN jhogan@postregister.com An Idaho Falls man who was found guilty of child sexual abuse was sentenced Monday to retained jurisdiction.
Hernandez was arrested in December after interactions with a 9-year-old girl who would often stay at his home drew suspicion. He would text her late at night, and once asked her to send a picture of herself after a shower. The victim's mother discovered the text messages and contacted police.
Chief Public Defender Jordan Crane asked the judge to give Hernandez probation, saying his client had already spent eight months in jail. Crane said Hernandez has a federal court case on his immigration status, and he will likely spend another six to eight months in custody before it's resolved.
"There's probably a high likelihood he'll be deported before this matter is solved," Crane said.
Crane also said the victim did not seem to be traumatized since the abuse was limited to touching, the most serious accusation being that Hernandez hugged the victim from behind and touched her breasts.
Bonneville County Chief Deputy Prosecutor John Dewey said Hernandez did not cooperate with the pretrial investigator, resulting in a short report. Hernandez underwent a psychosexual evaluation, but chose not to provide it to the court.
Dewey also pointed to the evidence introduced during the jury trial, including statements by the victim, her mother, and a psychologist who testified about the steps sexual predators use to groom a victim.
During the trial, Dewey argued Hernandez went through several grooming steps, that the touching always happened when other adults were not around, and that Hernandez had asked the victim if other adults were telling her to stay away.
"The evidence that this court heard is that this defendant was grooming the child," Dewey said. He asked the court to sentence Hernandez to prison. Crane had argued during the trial that the touching was innocent and that Hernandez did not have sexual intent.
Hernandez repeated this argument during a lengthy statement to the court. He accused the detective investigating the case of twisting his words, and expressed frustration about how the case was affecting his immigration case. "He wanted to convict me when 1,000 people do the same thing," Hernandez said.
Hernandez also accused the witnesses of lying, and accused the victim's mother of putting words in her daughter's mouth. Hernandez said he intends to appeal his conviction.
District Judge Joel Tingey said it was not up to him to determine if Hernandez was innocent after a jury had found him guilty. Tingey also said Hernandez's refusal to work with the presentence investigator did not reflect favorably. "To a large degree I have to assume the worst because I don't have anything on this," Tingey said.
Hernandez cited his psychosexual evaluation, saying it found he was unlikely to reoffend, but Tingey reminded Hernandez he did not share it with the court, so the judge did not have access to the evaluation.
Tingey gave Hernandez an underlying sentence of two to eight years in prison. Though neither attorney asked for retained jurisdiction, Tingey said he wanted to see how Hernandez responded to treatment before determining if he should serve more prison time.
New York Times: Asia Argento, #MeToo leader,
paid sexual assault accuser
Let he (or her) who is without sin, cast the first stone - Jesus
Actress and filmmaker Asia Argento has found herself on the other side of the #MeToo conversation.
The New York Times reported Sunday that months after publicly accusing Harvey Weinstein of rape, Argento made a deal with a young actor who accused her of sexual assault. Argento was among the first women to accuse now disgraced movie mogul Weinstein of sexual misconduct and has been a leading figure in the #MeToo movement.
The New York Times says it has lawyers' documents showing that actor and musician Jimmy Bennett alleged Argento sexually assaulted him in 2013 when he was 17 and she was 37.
According to the publication, Bennett said the assault took place at a hotel in California, where the age of consent is 18. Bennett played Argento's son in the 2004 movie "The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things."
The Times reported they received the documents "through encrypted email by an unidentified party," and that they included "a selfie dated May 9, 2013, of the two lying in bed."
"As part of the agreement, Mr. Bennett, who is now 22, gave the photograph and its copyright to Ms. Argento, now 42," the story said. "Three people familiar with the case said the documents were authentic."
Bennett reportedly asked Argento for $3.5 million in damages, a month after she spoke out about Weinstein last October and that Argento later arranged to pay Bennett $380,000. The first installment was made in April 2018, the New York Times said.
Asia Argento and US singer and actress Rose McGowan take part in a rally organised in Rome by the
"Non Una Di Meno" movement in March.
The publication said it had been attempting to reach Argento for comment since last Thursday with no success. It said a woman in the office of her lawyer, Carrie Goldberg, said the attorney would not be available for comment.
Bennett would not agree to be interviewed by the New York Times. His attorney Gordon K. Sattro sent an email to the publication. "In the coming days," Sattro wrote, "Jimmy will continue doing what he has been doing over the past months and years, focusing on his music."
In a statement to CNN Monday, Sattro asked for privacy for his client.
"At this time, our client, Jimmy Bennett, does not wish to comment on the documents or the events discussed in the New York Times article yesterday evening," the statement read. "While we realize that the news cycle demands an immediate response, many times, people need more than a few minutes or hours to respond. We are asking that you give our client some time and space."
"Jimmy is going to take the next 24 hours, or longer, to prepare his response," the statement added. "We ask that you respect our client's privacy during this time. My office will reach out once he is prepared to deliver his official response."
CNN has also reached out to Goldberg as well as other representatives for Argento and Bennett for comment.
Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to six felony sex crimes -- two counts of predatory sexual assault, two counts of rape, one first-degree criminal sex act charge and one criminal sex act.
The charges stem from allegations from three women, according to court documents.
Weinstein has denied all allegations of "nonconsensual sexual activity," and he's remained free after posting $1 million bail in cash. Harvey Weinstein seeks dismissal of indictment due to emails between him and accuser
The charges against Weinstein came nine months after The New Yorker and The New York Times published accounts from several women accusing him of various forms of sexual misconduct.
Argento was one of the women whose story was shared in The New Yorker piece. None of the charges currently against Weinstein stem from Argento's accusations.
Last October she confirmed her account to CNN and said of the many allegations against Weinstein "This is our truth."
Argento gave a speech at the Cannes Film Festival in May during which she alleged she was raped by Weinstein in 1997 when she was 21. "This festival was his hunting ground," Argento said in her speech.
On Monday Weinstein's attorney Benjamin Brafman released a statement to CNN saying "This development reveals a stunning level of hypocrisy by Asia Argento, one of the most vocal catalysts who sought to destroy Harvey Weinstein."
"What is perhaps most egregious, is the timing, which suggests that at the very same time Argento was working on her own secret settlement for the alleged sexual abuse of a minor, she was positioning herself at the forefront of those condemning Mr. Weinstein, despite the fact that her sexual relationship with Mr. Weinstein was between two consenting adults which lasted for more than four years," the statement continued. "The sheer duplicity of her conduct is quite extraordinary and should demonstrate to everyone how poorly the allegations against Mr. Weinstein were actually vetted and accordingly, cause all of us to pause and allow due process to prevail, not condemnation by fundamental dishonesty."
Argento was the girlfriend of Anthony Bourdain who took his own life in June at the age of 61.
Bourdain and Argento met while in Rome filming an episode of his CNN show, "Parts Unknown," and he was one of her most ardent supporters after she went public with her allegations against Weinstein.
"I stand unhesitatingly and unwaveringly with the women," Bourdain wrote in December 2017. "Not out of virtue, or integrity, or high moral outrage -- as much as I'd like to say so -- but because late in life, I met one extraordinary woman with a particularly awful story to tell, who introduced me to other extraordinary women with equally awful stories."
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