AWFUL

UCLA Gynecologist, 65, Guilty of Sexually Abusing Patients

Dr. James Heaps was convicted on five counts including sexual penetration of an unconscious person.

An obstetrician-gynecologist who worked at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) for over 30 years was found guilty on Thursday of five counts of sexually abusing patients. Jurors at the trial of Dr. James Heaps, 65, acquitted him of seven counts and could not reach unanimous verdicts on nine others. Dr. Heaps, who retired in 2018 after three decades at UCLA, could now face a sentence of over 20 years in state prison and must register as a sex offender, a prosecutor told local media. The allegations against Heaps, which he denied, related to allegations made by seven women between 2009 and 2018. The jury convicted Heaps on three counts of sexual battery by fraud and two counts of sexual penetration of an unconscious person. Sentencing is set for Nov. 17.