Hartford (Conn.) HealthCare has placed a rheumatology leader on administrative leave after he was arrested on charges of child sexual exploitation.
John Magaldi, MD, chief of rheumatology at the Bone & Joint Institute at Hartford Hospital, was arrested along with two other individuals, charged with separate sexual crimes against children. The arrests were part of a joint operation between the Meriden (Conn.) Police Department, the FBI and the New Haven (Conn.) State Attorney's Office, designed to "take enforcement against individuals that were seeking sexual activity with children," according to a March 12 Facebook post from the police department.
Dr. Magaldi, 61, was released on a $350,000 bond pending a March 22 court appearance. He has been charged with attempt to commit second-degree sexual assault; attempt to commit illegal sexual contact with a victim under 16; attempt to commit commercial sex abuse with a minor; and interfering with an officer.
According to his profile on Hartford HealthCare's website, Dr. Magaldi is also associated with Hartford HealthCare Medical Group; Torrington, Conn.-based Charlotte Hungerford Hospital; and Integrated Care Partners, the system's physician-led clinical integration organization.
Wilson Suarez, 28, and Francisco Carrero, 50, will also appear in court March 22. Their professions have not been reported.
Hartford HealthCare shared the following statement with Becker's on March 12: "We are troubled to learn of the arrest and we take these allegations seriously. With safety as a core value, we have placed Dr. John Magaldi on administrative leave, and we are working to gather information from law enforcement authorities so that we can address this situation appropriately. We are unable to provide further details as this is an ongoing legal matter."