Atlanta VA doctor convicted of sexually assaulting female patient
An American flag flies in front of the Atlanta VA Medical Center in Atlanta in 2019.
David Goldman / Associated Press
A former physician at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Decatur was found guilty Tuesday on charges related to groping a female patient during exam visits.
Dr. Rajesh Motibhai Patel, 69, was convicted by a jury of violating a patient’s constitutional right to bodily integrity while acting under color of law, and for engaging in unwanted sexual contact.
Four female patients accused Patel of sexually assaulting them by improperly touching their vaginal areas and groping their breasts during routine examinations between 2019 and 2020, according to the U.S. Department of Justice in a press release. He was indicted in May 2023, with the VA removing him from patient care and reassigning him to a role with no patient interaction.
The Lilburn resident was acquitted of charges related to three victims, but was convicted of the charges relating to the fourth patient, who remains anonymous.
“Dr. Patel violated the cardinal rule of a physician to do no harm to patients under his care,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan in the Wednesday press release. “Veterans who consulted him for treatment, like the victim in this case, trusted Dr. Patel and he violated that trust.”
“The verdict is an important step in seeking justice for a sexual assault committed against a veteran seeking care at a VA medical center,” added Michael J. Missal, Inspector General for the Department of Veterans Affairs. “Acts of violence against veterans in VA facilities are reprehensible and shatters that trust. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to hold anyone who would commit these crimes accountable.”
The former doctor is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 20, 2025.
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