A New York urologist convicted of sexually abusing numerous men and boys over more than a decade was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison.
Darius Paduch, 57, lured his victims while working at Weill Cornell Medicine in Manhattan from 2007 to 2019 and Northwell Health on Long Island from 2019 to 2023, investigators said.
“He used his position as a renowned urologist at prestigious hospitals to sexually assault vulnerable patients, including children, to gratify his own sexual desires,” Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement.
Paduch specialized in the treatment of Klinefelter syndrome, a genetic condition that can cause infertility in men. During “treatment sessions,” Paduch would masturbate his patients, force them to masturbate while he watched and press his own erect penis against patients’ bodies, according to federal investigators.
More than 160 former patients sued Paduch in civil court under New York’s Adult Survivors Act. Eleven testified at his trial, while dozens more submitted statements to the court.
“The damage that Dr. Paduch has done through his abuse and gaslighting is irreparable,” District Judge Ronnie Abrams said at sentencing, according to Newsday. “I am of the view that he will always pose a danger to the community and everyone in it.”
Paduch continued practicing until he was arrested on Long Island in April 2023. He was convicted in May 2024 on six counts of inducing a person to travel to engage in unlawful sexual activity and five counts of inducing a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity.