Doctor who sexually abused patients dies by apparent suicide in New York jail

A once-prominent neurologist convicted last month of sexually abusing patients killed himself on Monday at a New York City jail, two people familiar with the matter said.

Cruciani died while awaiting sentencing next month in a New York state case in which he was convicted of 12 counts, including predatory sexual assault, rape and sex abuse, and acquitted on two other counts. He faced up to life in prison.

He was also scheduled to go on trial next January on federal charges accusing him of abusing multiple patients over 15 years at his offices in New York City, Philadelphia and Hopewell, New Jersey.

Prosecutors said Cruciani groomed vulnerable patients by overprescribing painkillers, sometimes to treat serious injuries from car wrecks and other accidents.

Six women testified the sexual abuse often occurred behind closed doors during appointments in 2013 at a Manhattan medical center, where the doctor would expose himself and demand sex.

The AP does not typically identify people who say they are survivors of sexual assault unless they grant permission, which Phoenix and Tullin have done.

Cruciani denied abusing women. In court, his lawyer questioned the credibility of his accusers.

On Monday, the fire department said it responded to a call of an inmate unconscious at the jail around 5.50am and added that Cruciani was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Rikers Island complex, troubled by years of neglect, has spiraled into further turmoil since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, with a rise in death and injury for those jailed there.

The city has said it will close Rikers Island by 2027, replacing it with four smaller jails located elsewhere.