A once-prominent neurologist convicted closing month of sexually abusing sufferers killed himself on Monday at a Unusual York Metropolis penal complex, two folks accustomed to the topic said.
Ricardo Cruciani, 68, used to be chanced on unresponsive in a shower space in piece of town’s notorious Rikers Island complex, the oldsters said. They weren’t licensed to communicate publicly and did so on situation of anonymity.
Cruciani’s licensed educated, Frederick Sosinsky, confirmed in an announcement that his consumer had died, however no longer the form of death.
“Ricardo’s attorneys and family are nervous and saddened beyond belief to hold discovered of his violent death whereas in city custody this morning,” he said.
Sosinsky called for “a without extend and plan investigation“ into the instances of Cruciani’s death, including whether penal complex officials complied with a court clarify, at the time of his conviction, to space him in protective custody and under suicide leer.
“Neither of these prerequisites were, to our info, ever complied with,” Sosinsky said. “Had they been, we would no longer be having this unpleasant dialogue.”
Cruciani died whereas awaiting sentencing next month in a Unusual York bid case in which he used to be convicted of 12 counts, including predatory sexual assault, rape and sex abuse, and acquitted on two diversified counts. He faced up to life in detention center.
He used to be additionally scheduled to fade on trial next January on federal charges accusing him of abusing just a few sufferers over 15 years at his locations of work in Unusual York Metropolis, Philadelphia and Hopewell, Unusual Jersey.
Prosecutors said Cruciani groomed susceptible sufferers by overprescribing painkillers, most incessantly to address serious injuries from car wrecks and diversified accidents.
Six females testified the sexual abuse in overall occurred within the relieve of closed doors all thru appointments in 2013 at a Manhattan medical center, the achieve the physician would expose himself and seek info from sex.
“I retract comfort colorful he now faces one other obtain,” said Terrie Phoenix, who had testified in opposition to Cruciani at trial.
Cruciani’s act “used to be in no system a sign of feel sorry about or guilt”, said Hillary Tullin, who additionally testified and who helped gasoline the case by calling a sexual abuse hotline in 2017. “He simply might almost definitely well well no longer stand going thru the rest of his life within the relieve of bars.”
Tullin called it a “unhappy day for all of his victims who might almost definitely well well no longer ever rep to hold finality and never hold the likelihood to address the defendant to recount him today how his crimes very much impacted their lives”.
Jeffrey Fritz, who represents 30 females who inform they were victimized by Cruciani, including Phoenix and Tullin, said a lot of his purchasers “the truth is feel cheated of criminal justice”.
The AP would not basically name folks that inform they are survivors of sexual assault unless they grant permission, which Phoenix and Tullin hold accomplished.
Cruciani denied abusing females. In court, his licensed educated questioned the credibility of his accusers.
On Monday, the fireplace division said it responded to a name of an inmate unconscious at the penal complex around 5.50am and added that Cruciani used to be pronounced boring at the scene.
Cruciani is just not any longer much less than the 11th particular person to die