Prominent surgeon indicted for alleged gunpoint sexual assault: DA
A prominent surgeon allegedly sexually assaulted a woman at gunpoint in his apartment, according to an indictment from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office released on Tuesday.
Dr. Maurizio Miglietta, 56, a professor of surgery at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, an honorary police surgeon for the NYPD and a former consultant for the U.S. Secret Service, pleaded not guilty to rape, attempted rape and other charges.
Miglietta met the 28-year-old alleged victim through a networking event in the medical field, according to the indictment.
The indictment says the woman allegedly went to Miglietta’s Financial District apartment on June 5 expecting to discuss her business ventures.
Miglietta allegedly kissed her without her consent, and when she attempted to push him away, he lifted his shirt and displayed a firearm that he said was loaded, the indictment said.
Prosecutors said that, as the woman allegedly repeatedly said "no," Miglietta put the gun on a coffee table next to the woman’s head before orally raping her and attempting to vaginally rape her.
According to the indictment, the woman was able to escape, claiming she had a meeting she could not miss.
"As alleged, this prominent doctor used his position to lure a woman to his apartment under the guise of professional networking and mentorship," Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a press release. "Instead, he allegedly displayed a firearm that he said was loaded, and sexually assaulted her as she repeatedly said no."
The investigation is ongoing. The district attorney’s office asked anyone with information about similar assaults to call the Special Victims Division at 212-335-9373.
