New York: An Indian pediatrician in New York has been charged with sexually exploiting some of his young female patients and secretly videotaping and photographing them in his clinic.
Rakesh Punn, 53, has pleaded not guilty to the charges in a 36-count indictment, which also include healthcare fraud, at his arraignment before US District Judge Joanna Seybert.
If convicted, Punn faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years' imprisonment and a maximum of 30 years' imprisonment for each count of sexual exploitation of a child.
Law enforcement authorities had arrested Punn in July 2010 and subsequently filed an indictment that charged him with multiple counts of violating New York State sexual abuse and fraud laws, including recording sexually explicit activity involving his minor patients during their visits to his office located in his residence in New York.
Punn has remained in state custody on those charges since his arrest. The 36-count indictment, returned on January 4, 2012, includes federal charges of sexual exploitation of children and healthcare fraud.
As alleged in the indictment, between September 2007 and January 2008, Punn sexually exploited three children under the guise of medical treatment at his home office and recorded the activities.
The new federal indictment also alleges that Punn then submitted fraudulent insurance claims for medical treatment of those three for any medically accepted purpose, but rather for his sexual gratification. US Attorney Loretta Lynch said Punn not only violated criminal law but also "betrayed his oath as a licensed physician, to first, do no harm".
"These children were entrusted to the defendant by their parents for health care and what they allegedly received was sexual abuse. He furthered their victimisation by recording the acts. No child should be subjected to this exploitation," Lynch said, adding that Punn then compounded his charged offense by billing insurance companies for his sexual misconduct.
Authorities termed Punn's crimes as "an egregious betrayal of the physician's oath and ethical obligation" where he not only exploited children but had the "audacity" to bill their insurers for this "treatment".
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