A physician in Beverly Hills, Babak Hajhosseini, who operates one of the premier burn units in the United States, has been indicted for drugging and sexually assaulting a female employee, reportedly enticing victims with the prospect of lucrative employment via job recruitment platforms.
Dr. Babak Hajhosseini, 42, was apprehended on November 26 following a tip from an employee alleging that he had sexually abused her, as stated by the Los Angeles Police Department.
On December 23, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office indicted Babak Hajhosseini on two counts of drug-facilitated rape and one count of rape of an unconscious individual, along with additional charges of oral copulation and sodomy.
Babak Hajhosseini refutes all allegations made against him.
The allegations originate from one accuser; but, in a news release disseminated on Monday, authorities indicated their belief that additional victims may emerge.
The Special Assault Section of the LAPD’s West Bureau is soliciting further victims and witnesses in a sexual assault investigation in West Los Angeles, according to the statement.
The victim is thought to have been employed by Babak Hajhosseini, the founder of the Wound and Burn Centres of America, situated at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Office Towers in Beverly Grove.
The company claims to be the “world’s foremost provider of advanced wound healing services,” as stated on their website. Babak Hajhosseini stated on LinkedIn that it carries the tagline “Healing Humankind One Wound at a Time.”
A woman informed LAPD officers that the doctor coerced her into ingesting an alcoholic beverage that rendered her unconscious. She claimed it resulted in Babak Hajhosseini sexually abusing her while documenting the incident.
According to investigators, Babak Hajhosseini purportedly enticed and evaluated potential victims using recruiting websites after advertising high-paying positions.
Authorities stated that Babak Hajhosseini, a clinical fellow at Stanford University School of Medicine, coerced purported victims into doing overtime at his residence.
The defendant’s lawyers issued a statement to KTLA claiming he “intends to vigorously defend himself in court, where the evidence will prove his innocence”.
The legal team also took aim at the LAPD, claiming it made “additional false and salacious accusations” in a statement.
They added that Babak Hajhosseini took a voluntary polygraph test which they claim he passed – adding “the LAPD knows this”.
Following his arrest last month, Babak Hajhosseini was released days later after posting a $2 million bond.
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