Local Anesthesiologist Charged with Sexual Assault of Unconscious Patients, DA Searching for Other Victims

The Orange County District Attorney’s (OCDA) Office is asking for the public’s help in identifying potential victims who may have been sexually assaulted by a local anesthesiologist already accused of victimizing two patients while they were unconscious.

Yashwant Balgiri Giri, a 58-year-old Cypress resident, who works as an anesthesiologist at the Placentia-Linda Hospital, was arrested by Placentia police last Wednesday.

He is accused of sexually assaulting two patients -- a 16-year-old girl in 2009 and a 36-year-old woman in 2011. Giri has worked at other hospitals in Southern California, including Anaheim Regional Medical Center, West Anaheim Medical Center, Western Medical Center in Anaheim, and nearby Lakewood Regional Medical Center -- a hospital frequented by Cerritos and Artesia residents.

The district attorney’s office filed charges against the defendant last week on one felony count each of sexual battery on an institutionalized victim for Jane Doe #1, and sexual penetration by foreign object of an unconscious victim for Jane Doe #2.

Giri has been released on $100,000 bail, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Department's online inmate information log. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of eight years in state prison.

According to the OCDA’s office, “Between Jan. 1, 2009, and Dec. 31, 2009, Giri is accused of administering anesthesia to 16-year-old Jane Doe #2 while she was unconscious from medication. He is accused of digitally penetrating the victim while a scrub nurse was preparing the surgery tools with her back turned.”

The nurse witnessed the sexual assault and immediately reported it to a director at the Placentia Linda Hospital. However, the hospital failed to report the incident to police at that time, according to an OCDA statement.

The second incident occurred on March 18, 2011, when Giri allegedly fondled the breasts of 36-year-old Jane Doe #1 while she was unconscious and under anesthesia during an outpatient surgery procedure. A hospital employee, who had looked into the operating room window to see how the surgery was progressing, spotted Giri fondling the victim’s breast continuously while the procedure was taking place, the OCDA’s statement said.

According to the OCDA, Giri continued to fondle the victim’s breasts while a tarp concealed him from the surgeon and nurse who were working near her legs.

When the witness reported the sexual assault to a hospital director, Placentia police were contacted, prompting the department to begin their investigation. Giri then resigned, the OCDA’s office said.

During the investigation into the 2011 sexual assault, police learned of the unreported incident involving Jane Doe #2 a year earlier.

Because of the Defendant’s extensive workplace history, the district attorney’s office is seeking the public’s help in identifying other potential victims.

Anyone who thinks they may have been a victim, or has additional information on this case, is encouraged to contact Supervising District Attorney Investigator Lou Gutierrez at (714) 347-8794.