A Beverly Hills doctor who runs one of America’s top burn units has been charged with drugging and raping a female staff member after allegedly lure in victims through the promise of high-pay work on job recruiting sites.
Dr. Babak Hajhosseini, 42, was arrested on November 26 after one of his employees reported that he had sexually assaulted her, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
On December 23, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office charged Hajhosseini with two counts of rape by use of drugs and one count of rape of an unconscious person among other oral copulation and sodomy charges.
Hajhosseini denies all charges against him.
The charges stem from a single accuser, but in a press release issued Monday, investigators said they believe that other victims may come forward.
The LAPD’s West Bureau’s Special Assault Section is “seeking additional victims and witnesses in a sexual assault investigation in West Los Angeles”, as per the statement.
The victim is believed to have worked for Hajhosseini, who founded the Wound and Burn Centers of America, located at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Office Towers in Beverly Grove.
The company touts itself as the “world’s leading provider of advanced wound healing services,” according to its website. It bears the motto “Healing Humankind One Wound at a Time,” Hajhosseini said on Linkedin.
One woman told LAPD investigators that the doctor pressured her into consuming an alcoholic beverage that left her unconscious. She alleged it led to Hajhosseini sexually assaulting her while recording the attack.
Hajhosseini allegedly lured in and assessed potential victims using recruiting websites after posting high-pay jobs, according to authorities.
Police said that Hajhosseini, a Stanford University School of Medicine clinical fellow, would pressure alleged victims to work overtime at his home.
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 Hajhosseini took a voluntary polygraph test which they claim he passed – adding “the LAPD knows this”.
Following his arrest last month, Hajhosseini was released days later after posting a $2 million bond.
The Independent has contacted the LAPD Hajhosseini’s attorneys for more information.
