Following an eight-day trial, Rajesh Motibhai Patel, a primary care physician at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Decatur, Georgia, was found guilty on Nov. 5 of violating a patient’s constitutional right to bodily integrity while acting under color of law and for engaging in unwanted sexual contact.
“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 a statement. “Veterans who consulted him for treatment, like the victim in this case, trusted Dr. Patel and he violated that trust. His conviction hopefully provides a measure of healing for those impacted by his crimes.”
Patel was charged with sexually assaulting four of his female patients during routine exams, where he groped their breasts and improperly touched their vaginal area between 2019 and 2020. The jury acquitted him of charges related to three victims and found him guilty of violating the fourth victim.
“The verdict is an important step in seeking justice for a sexual assault committed against a veteran seeking care at a VA medical center,” said Michael J. Missal, Inspector General for the Department of Veterans Affairs. “VA employees are entrusted with keeping our nation’s veterans safe while receiving care.