A once-renowned neurosurgeon convicted of sexually abusing patients last month committed suicide in a New York City jail on Monday, according to two persons with knowledge of the situation.
People say that Dr. Ricardo Cruciani, 68, was discovered unresponsive in a shower area at the Eric M. Taylor Center, a penitentiary on the infamous Rikers Island complex.
In a statement, Frederick Sosinsky, Cruciani's attorney, stated that his client had died, but did not specify the cause of death.
Ricardo's lawyers and family are "beyond shocked and heartbroken" to learn of his horrific death this morning while in city custody, he stated.
The court claims Cruciani preyed on vulnerable victims by overprescribing analgesics, sometimes to treat severe injuries sustained in automobile accidents and other accidents.
In 2013, six women claimed that sexual abuse frequently occurred behind closed doors at a Manhattan medical clinic during consultations, where the doctor would expose himself and demand sex.
In addition, he was slated to stand trial in January 2019 on federal charges accusing him of assaulting many patients at his offices in New York City, Philadelphia, and Hopewell, New Jersey, over the course of 15 years.
Cruciani denied accusations he was hurting women physically. In court, his attorney cast doubt on the veracity of his accusers.
Sosinsky demanded "an quick and objective investigation" into the circumstances surrounding his death, including whether jail staff followed with a court order to place him in protective custody and suicide watch at the time of his conviction.
Benny Boscio, the president of the correctional officers' union, stated that high-profile detainees are often placed on suicide watch and supervised by an additional officer upon entering the facility.
"The absence of a suicide watch for this inmate raises severe concerns," he stated.
Cruciani passed away while awaiting judgment in a New York state case in which he was convicted on 12 counts, including predatory sexual assault, rape, and sex abuse, but acquitted of two counts. He may have faced life in prison.
Hillary Tullin, who also testified and helped fuel the case by contacting a sexual assault hotline in 2017, claimed that Cruciani's action "in no way reflected sorrow or guilt." He could not bear the prospect of spending the rest of his life behind prison.
Jeffrey Fritz, who represents 30 women, including Phoenix and Tullin, who allege Cruciani abused them, stated that many of his clients "feel cheated by the criminal justice system."
