| Doctor
Cruciani Got $2M Release For Sexual Abuse
of Patients Now Lawyer Quits, Pay Qs
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC
- Guardian
UK - Honduras
- ESPN
SDNY COURTHOUSE,
Nov 29 – A former pain
management doctor who has been
indicted for sexually abusing
female patients in three
states for fifteen years was
offered bail conditions to be
released on the evening of
October 20. Inner City Press
was there, and again on
October 21 when he was
arraigned in a yellow prison
jumpsuit.
Mid-day it was
announced that "Damian
Williams, the United States
Attorney for the Southern
District of New York,
announced that RICARDO
CRUCIANI was arrested this
morning and charged in
connection with his sexual
abuse of numerous pain
management patients over the
course of over 15 years.
The Indictment unsealed today
alleges that from at least in
or about 2002 up to and
including at least in or about
2017, CRUCIANI enticed and
induced multiple victims to
travel to his medical offices
in New York, New York,
Hopewell, New Jersey, and
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to
subject them to unlawful
sexual abuse. CRUCIANI
was arrested this morning and
is expected to be presented
later today before U.S.
Magistrate Judge Robert W.
Lehrburger in Manhattan
federal court."
After a
case in which Magistrate Judge
Lehrburger granted the US
Attorney's Office's request to
detain in the MDC jail in
Brooklyn until trial an
asthmatic man from Burkina
Faso, employed in food
delivery, for enticing two
14-year old girls to have sex,
Cruciani was brought
in.
Cruciani wore a
sweater and blew a kiss to a
woman in the gallery, where
Inner City Press was the only
media.
The Assistant US
Attorney said that with
Cruciani's retained
(self-paid) lawyer a bail
package had been agreed to: a
$2 million personal
recognisance bond signed by
three financially responsible
people and secured by
properties in Winwood,
Pennsylvania and Jersey City,
New Jersey. Cruciani worked at
Mount Sinai. There is a
petition online here.
On October
21 the assigned District
Judge, John P. Cronan, held
Cruciani's arraignment. Inner
City Press live tweeted it here:
Cruciani Day 2:
15 hours after initially
closed presentment, Inner City
Press is here in 24A for his
arraignment.
Cruciani has been
brought in in yellow prison
jump suit. My wife is in the
gallery, with Inner City
Press. Cruciani has an
additional lawyer, Elizabeth
Macedonio. Cronan notes he
knew (of) her, when he was a
prosecutor.
AUSA Kim: We
agreed to bail. But he must
meet the conditions. Cruciani
says yes, in a croaking voice.
His lawyer, Mark Furman's
colleague, interprets for him:
pleads Not guilty.
AUSA Kim says
Cruciani pled guilty in
Pennsylvania - and got only
probation. NYS Supreme
criminal trial in Spring 2022,
then a Jersey state case.
After
Cruciani's counsel filed to be
released from representing
him, Judge Cronan issued this:
"MEMO ENDORSED granting [15]
LETTER MOTION Motion to be
Relieved as Counsel as to
Ricardo Cruciani (1)...
ENDORSEMENT: The parties shall
appear in person for a
conference on December 2, 2021
at 2:30 p.m. in Courtroom 12D
of the Daniel Patrick Moynihan
United States Courthouse, 500
Pearl Street, New York, New
York, to discuss defense
counsel's request to be
relieved as counsel in this
matter and that new counsel be
appointed to represent the
Defendant. Defense counsel
should be prepared to discuss
whether the Defendant is
financially eligible for
appointment of counsel
pursuant to the Criminal
Justice Act. In advance of the
conference, and in the event
that the Court grants the
request for appointment of
counsel, the parties should
advise the Court whether they
are aware of any conflicts
with the Federal Defenders of
New York. If appropriate, the
parties may make an ex parte
submission advising the Court
of any conflict. SO ORDERED.
(Signed by Judge John P.
Cronan on 11/29/21)."
Next on
Cruciani: Jan 4, 2 pm.
Cruciani doesn't want to
return to Essex jail, wants to
stay in 500 Pearl today in
case can be released.
Inner City
Press will stay on these case.
The disparity with the
Burkinabe food deliveryman was
not explained. (To be fair,
the SDNY is generally open,
see for example orders by
Judges Jed S. Rakoff here
and Jesse M. Furman on
Avenatti, here).
This case is US
v. Cruciani, 21-cr-636
(Cronan)
***
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