A San Diego-area doctor accused of sexually assaulting a patient kept as many as 1,300 explicit photos of his patients on his cellphone, according to state investigators.
Dr. Jeffrey Abrams, a doctor for more than 40 years, is under investigation by the California Department of Consumer Affairs-Health Quality Investigation Unit for alleged sexual penetration of an unconscious person and sexual battery of an unconscious person, KFMB TV reports.
According to court records, a female patient complaining of belly button pain went to Volunteers in Medicine, a free clinic in El Cajon, California in January, 2014.
The patient told investigators that Abrams asked her to take her clothes off while he was in the exam room. She also alleged that Abrams inserted his finger into her vagina for the exam, and also pulled out a cell phone from his doctor's coat and took a picture of her belly button area and five photos of her naked body.
A Medical Board Expert Reviewer later described the exam and photos as extreme departures from standard care, KGTV TV reports.
The alleged victim is filing a civil suit against Abrams and the clinic, according to her lawyer, Jessica Pride.
"My client was sexually harassed, she was sexually assaulted. She went there for medical services and unfortunately she had naked pictures taken of her without her consent and now she is emotionally traumatized,” Pride told KGTV TV.
The allegations are similar to those of a former patient named "Paulette," who said she went to Abrams a couple of years ago after her medical insurance ran out.
"He was getting a cheap feel every chance he had, and then he would take pictures," she told KGTV TV.
She said Abrams seemed friendly, but claims he did a pelvic exam without any gloves, asked personal questions about her sex life and took photos of her sex organs and buttocks with his cellphone.
Paulette said Abrams told her the photos would be used to help train medical students.
A search of Abrams' cell phone allegedly revealed more than 1,300 photos, most of which showed Abrams' patients either partially or completely naked. One photo showed a very young girl completely naked and there was also a video of one of Abrams' patients masturbating.
Abrams has not been charged or arrested involving these allegations.
The San Diego County district attorney's office is considering filing charges against him, Fox5SanDiego reports.
Abrams is still allowed to practice medicine, but he has also been placed on leave by Volunteers In Medicine CEO Maureen Hartin, who released this statement to KFMB TV.
We recently became aware of an investigation of one of our volunteer medical providers. Our clinic and staff have cooperated fully with the California Medical Board investigators. Once we were informed, the doctor was put on an immediate leave of absence."
READ: The Warrant Against Dr. Jeffrey Abrams
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