Former UCLA doctor James Heaps sentenced to 11 years for sex crimes
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A former doctor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) was sentenced to 11 years in prison Tuesday after being accused of sexually assaulting his patients as an obstetrician-gynecologist at the school.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced that 69-year-old James Heaps pleaded guilty to 13 charges; these include 6 felonies involving sexual assault on an unconscious person, 5 felonies involving sexual assault by fraud, and 2 felonies involving sexual abuse of a patient.
During his 35-year career at UCLA, the university spent nearly $700 million to resolve civil lawsuits against him.
He will also be required to register as a sex offender for life.
COURT OF APPEAL REVERSED THE PUNISHMENT OF UCLA GYNECOLOGIST DUE TO PROBLEMS IN TRIAL
James Heaps was sentenced to 11 years in prison for sexually assaulting patients during his 35-year medical career at UCLA. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times via AP/Pool, File)
Heaps’ plea comes after a California appeals court ruled that he was denied a fair trial in 2023 because of concerns that a juror did not speak enough English to adequately fulfill his responsibilities.
His lawyer, Leonard Levine, told the Associated Press at the time that “justice is slow, but it’s finally done.”
“I believe it is only a matter of time before this is fully cleared,” he added.
Levine did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
BACKGROUND: LAWYERS SAY UCLA GYNECOLOGIST’S FORMER PATIENTS ACCUSED OF SEXUAL ABUSE ARE ‘THE VOICES OF MANY PEOPLE’
Former UCLA patients of James Heaps have previously claimed that the school ignored their complaints about him. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times, File)
However, prosecutors evaluated the result differently.
“Today, for the second time, we hold James Heaps accountable for the unconscionable crimes he committed while entrusted with the safety of his patients,” said Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman, according to the statement.
“Heaps exploited the sacred trust between a doctor and patient for years to prey on defenseless victims during medical procedures. This sentence ensures that Heaps will finally be held accountable for the harm he caused under the guise of care. To the survivors: I hope today brings you closure, knowing that the person who violated your trust has been brought to justice once and for all. To all survivors, please know that we believe you and will fight for you.”
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Heaps’ previous conviction in 2023 was overturned after it was revealed that one of the jurors did not speak sufficient English. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times via AP/Pool, File)
In 2023, the doctor’s former patients alleged that he groped them, made suggestive comments, or performed unnecessarily invasive examinations on them at the university’s student health center, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, or his campus office.
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The women who sued Heaps claimed the school ignored their comments and allowed the abuse to continue.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Normand-Diamond contributed to this report.
