Crime & Safety
Ex-Palo Alto Chief Of Cardiology Pleads Guilty To Sexual Battery
John Giacomini, 73, was a former chief of cardiology at the Palo Alto VA Hospital.
By: Bay City News
PALO ALTO, CA — A former chief of cardiology at the Palo Alto VA Hospital pleaded guilty on Tuesday to one count of abusive sexual contact, a felony, a spokesperson for the Department of Justice, Northern District of California announced.
John Giacomini, 73, of Atherton, subjected a subordinate to unwanted sexual advances over a period of time beginning in the fall of 2017, which the DOJ said culminated on December 20, 2017, when he turned out the lights in a room, pulled the victim from a chair, released the drawstring of her scrubs, and fondled her breasts and other intimate areas. A janitor opened the door and interrupted the contact, prosecutors said.
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The woman had "explicitly" told Giacomini on Nov. 10, 2017 that she was not interested in a romantic or sexual relationship with him, prosecutors said.
The victim later resigned from her job, prosecutors said, citing the cardiologist's behavior as her principal reason for leaving.
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Giacomini had previously held a faculty position at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
Giacomini's sentencing is scheduled for July 12, 2022. He faces a maximum sentence of two years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, restitution, supervised release, and assessment, according to the DOJ.
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