A federal jury on Wednesday acquitted a former Veteran Affairs doctor of sexually assaulting a female patient and then lying about it to federal investigators.
Devashish Ray, a 47-year-old internist who headed a clinic at the VA hospital in Decatur, was falsely accused by the patient and by federal authorities, Ray's lawyer, Ed Garland, said Thursday.
"This caused tremendous agony to an innocent man," Garland said. "It was devastating to him that anyone would even accuse him of something like that. It's so wonderful to have this lifted off of him."
According to a federal indictment, a female veteran, who was a hemophilia patient, visited the VA hospital on Nov. 17, 2008, for an appointment, fearing she might be suffering from internal injuries. During an examination, Ray groped her and then tried to convince her to take off her pants, federal authorities alleged.
During lengthy testimony on the witness stand, Ray denied all charges, Garland said. Ray, who no longer works for the VA, worked as a doctor for the agency for five years, the first three in Augusta and the final two in Decatur. Ray voluntarily agreed to stop practicing while the charges were pending against him, Garland said.
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