A gynecologist accused of molesting hundreds of patients during a decades-long career was convicted of federal sex crime charges Tuesday in a victory for accusers who were outraged when an initial state prosecution resulted in no prison time, reports the Associated Press. Robert Hadden, 64, of Englewood, N.J., was convicted after less than a day of deliberations at a two-week trial in which nine former patients described how he abused them sexually during examinations when they were most vulnerable. “This is such a victory for all of us,” said Evelyn Yang, whose husband, Andrew Yang, ran unsuccessfully as a Democrat for president in 2020. She said Hadden sexually assaulted her years ago when she was seven months pregnant. Hadden, who is subject to electronic monitoring and was free on $1 million bail, declined to comment. Judge Richard Berman declined a request by a prosecutor and 10 victims that Hadden be immediately jailed, but set a hearing next week to consider the matter. Sntencing was set for April 25.
Hadden worked at two prestigious Manhattan hospitals, Columbia University Irving Medical Center and New York-Presbyterian Hospital, until complaints about his attacks shut down his career a decade ago. The institutions have already agreed to pay more than $236 million to settle civil claims by more than 200 former patients. During the trial, Hadden’s lawyers did not contest that he molested patients. They said his state court plea covered those crimes and that federal charges alleging patients from New Jersey and Nevada crossed state lines to be sexually abused were inappropriate because he didn’t know where they came from. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jane Kim argued that Hadden should be immediately jailed as a risk to flee and a danger to the community. To support the prosecution, eight former patients spoke of the lasting harm the doctor caused them. One woman said she became a Hadden patient because she was friends with his niece. She said he would talk about his niece even while he molested her. “This conviction helps a lot,” said another woman who first became a patient in 1993 and went to Hadden for nearly 20 years. Hadden’s lawyer, Deirdre Von Dornum, said he wouldn’t flee and he was not a danger to the community. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams called Hadden “a predator in a white coat.”
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