Feds hit sick gyno Cy let off
‘ Predator in white coat,’ indict claims
A former Columbia University gynecologist was “a predator in a white coat” who abused dozens of patients over nearly two decades, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
Dr. Robert Hadden, who served no jail time thanks to a controversial 2016 plea deal with Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr., was slapped with new federal charges alleging he preyed on women by subjecting them to perversions he disguised as medically necessary.
Among his victims between 1993 and 2012 was a minor patient he sought out after delivering her at birth, according to a shocking 20-page Manhattan Federal Court indictment.
“Hadden acted as a predator in a white coat,” Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said at a press conference.
Hadden’s alleged abuse involved developing trusting relationships with patients and thenarrangingencounters with them alone by excusing staff.
He’d then engage “in a course of increasingly abusive conduct, which Hadden attempted to mask under the guise of legitimate medical care,” prosecutors wrote. He conducted “sexualized breast exams” and “inappropriate mole checks” according to the indictment, among other grotesque acts.
“Hadden inappropriately touched, squeezed and even licked his victims in the course of what his victims thought were medically necessary gynecological and obstetric examinations,” Strauss said.
Hadden, 62, allegedly induced patients to travel from out of state by giving them free birth control. He targeted young victims with little or no prior experience with a gynecologist, according to the indictment.
“Many of Hadden’s victims did not know what to expect,” Strauss said.
The deranged doctor faces six counts of enticing individuals to travel across state lines to engage in illegal sexual activity, each of which carries a maximum of 20 years in prison.
The indictment amounts to a rebuke of Vance’s handling of the case. The Daily News has reported on Hadden since he was sued by a patient in 2013. He was charged in state court the following year with abusing patients, some of whom were pregnant. In 2016 he pleaded guilty to acts with “no valid medical purpose” on two patients, lost his medical license and served zero jail time.
Hadden’s accusers were outraged by Vance’s handling of the case and said they were kept in the dark about the lenient terms of his guilty plea. Evelyn Yang, wife of former Democratic presidential hopeful Andrew Yang, said she was among the patients Hadden abused.
“I hope that through the course of this, the world will finally see the full extent of Hadden’s decades of sexual abuse and the institutional cowardice that protected and enabled him for so long,” one of Hadden’s alleged victims, Marissa Hoechstetter, told the Daily News.
“Having a second chance to seek justice is unique. At a time when the world is focused on criminal justice reforms and the power of district attorneys, the Hadden story is a shining example of our flawed two-tiered system of justice. This federal indictment only puts into high relief the betrayal I and his other victims experienced by the Manhattan DA.”
Hadden pleaded not guilty and was ordered released on $1 million bond against the government’s wishes and six accusers who shared statements with the court. But Magistrate Judge Robert Lehrburger noted that Hadden had shown up to court in his earlier case.
“Obviously, the nature of the offense is monstrous,” the judge added.
After Vance faced criticism for cases involving Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein, Hadden’s victims said they saw a pattern in which men with connected defense attorneys got off easy.
Vance’s office has defended the plea deal, saying his conviction at trial was not guaranteed. Nevertheless, his office reopened its investigation into Hadden in February.
“Our office provided substantial assistance leading to today’s indictment, and our continuing investigation — which examines potential failures by Dr. Hadden’s employer and hospital to disclose additional
incidents of abuse to our office and to regulators when required — is intensely active and ongoing,” Danny Frost, a spokesman for Vance, said in a statement. Strauss declined to elaborate on the cooperation of Vance’s office with the federal case, beyond saying the DA’s office shared documents the feds needed.
FBI New York Assistant Director-in-Charge William Sweeney urged co-workers, employers, subordinates and
colleagues of Hadden to contact authorities.
“If you thought something was amiss, but just weren’t sure — if you stayed silent, now is the time to step forward and speak up,” Sweeney said. “I would ask that you proactively reach out to us first.”
He added to the women who came forward: “Your courage and perseverance has been inspiring to our team. You have made a difference in the lives of others.”