RAKESH PUNN, BETHPAGE PEDIATRICIAN, ADMITS DRUGGING, SEXUALLY ABUSING PATIENT, DA SAYS

Newsday/Ellen Yan
9/5/14

Rakesh Punn, a 56 year old former Bethpage pediatrician, pleaded guilty Friday to drugging agirl in his office, then sexually abusing her, part of a long investigation that also led to afederal conviction on sexual exploitation.  Punn faces 15 years in prison on two counts ofcriminal sale of a prescription for a controlled substance and fist-degree sexual abuse at hisDecember 5 sentencing.  He will have to register as a sex offender after his prison term andforfeit $2,113, 994.  In his plea he admitted to abusing a patient, 17, in 2007.  He alsotricked patients into filling prescriptions for the drug used to incapacitate victims, telling themto bring back the drug so he could check it or make a compound.  He'd then keep it. Arrested in 2010, he was charged with abusing at least seven female patients, ages 11 to 21. As early as 2007, he drugged or blindfolded them, then photographed and videotaped his abuse ofthem.  He also had some victims disrobe in the guise of medical examinations and hiddencameras recorded them. 
(New York)