Woojin Cho, MD, a former attending orthopedic surgeon and chief of research at Montefiore Hospital in New York City, was sentenced on July 19 to nine months in prison for sexually abusing a patient who had gone to him for an appointment.
The patient, a 22-year-old woman, went to an appointment at the Montefiore Spine Center, where Dr. Cho, 48, "grabbed the victim's chest area and kissed her in the neck and cheek," according to investigators.
"He also touched her private area under her clothes and put the victim's hand on his private area," investigators said. After the appointment, Dr. Cho saved his cellphone number in the patient's phone and asked her to be his "sugar baby."
During a controlled call conducted by investigators, Dr. Cho admitted to touching her, which he said was part of the exam, and told her she would receive "a lot" if she kept the incident a secret, according to investigators.
Dr. Cho was arrested on Sept. 15, 2020, and a jury convicted him of forcible touching, third-degree sexual abuse and second-degree harassment on May 25, 2022.