Robert Hadden, MD, a former OB-GYN physician at New York City-based Columbia University, who was convicted of sexual abuse earlier this year, was sentenced July 25 to 20 years in prison, according to a July 25 news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.
Dr. Hadden was convicted on four counts of enticement and inducement to travel to engage in unlawful sexual activity, each of which carries a five-year maximum sentence.
"Under the guise of medical treatment, Robert Hadden sexually abused and assaulted numerous patients for approximately 25 years, exploiting them in vulnerable moments for his own sexual gratification," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams stated in the release.
Dr. Hadden also spoke for the first time during his sentencing after his attorneys submitted a request on his behalf to do so July 24.
"I just want to say that I'm very sorry for all the pain I have caused," he said according to the New York Daily News. "Thank you."
As a result of Dr. Hadden's misconduct, multiple New York hospitals settled for $165 million with 147 former patients who cited the former gynecologist as the perpetrator of sexual abuse in October 2022.