Dentist charged with sexually assaulting patients

A Los Angeles dentist allegedly sexually assaulted female patients while they were under anaesthesia for procedures, according to prosecutors.

Emad Fathy Moawad, 50, is charged with abusing nine women, aged between 27 and 73-years-old, between 2013 and 2018, The Los Angeles Times reported.

He is facing 13 counts of sexual battery by restraint, sexual penetration by force, and attempted sexual penetration against women from immigrant and low-income communities in his Oakwood office.

District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement reported by the Times that they’re asking for other possible victims to come forward.

“This case is especially concerning because its victims are low-income people and immigrants who are less likely to report crimes due to fear,” Mr Gascón said.

The dental practice at the corner of Beverly Boulevard and Normandie Avenue is bordered by Los Angele’s neighbourhoods like Little Bangladesh, Koreatown, Little Armenia and Thai Town.

The Los Angeles Police Department’s sex crimes detectives conducted a long investigation after a woman sued Mr Moawad in 2019 for sexual battery, sexual harassment and sexual violence, according to the Times.

She reportedly alleged that Mr Moawad began molesting her in 2017, first by brushing up against her breasts during one visit then repeatedly touching her breasts during another visit while she was under anaesthesia.

After yelling at office staff about the alleged assault moments later, the secretary is said to have replied that they couldn’t do anything about it.

The woman returned in August 2018 for a procedure on her veneers under local anaesthetic, in which Mr Moawad is alleged to have assaulted her. The suit says a dental assistant filmed an alleged assault in December 2018 to bring an end to the alleged abuse.