A Long Island, N.Y., chiropractor faces three charges of inappropriately touching three patients during exams over the past two years. These allegations come after he was arrested in October last year for allegedly molesting a 16-year-old girl.
Ronald Bernardini, 65, was taken into custody Saturday after former patients at his Lake Ronkonkoma practice reported the incident to police and accused him of perverted conduct during appointments between February 2021 and last October, according to Suffolk County police.
The chiropractor, who hails from Smithtown, was charged with four counts of forcible contact. He is expected to remain in custody overnight until his arraignment in First District Court in Central Islip on Monday, the New York Post reported.
The recent charges come after Bernardini was arrested in October and charged with sexually abusing a 16-year-old girl, who told her parents that the doctor forcibly touched her breasts during an exam,
When asked by New Jersey News 12 if he would go on camera and talk about it, Bernardini stated, “I don’t want the camera here. I’ve been bombarded with so much bullshit that it’s not true.”
Crime Victims Center executive director Laura Ahearn noted that it is not uncommon for professionals or people in positions of trust to sexually victimize children or teens.
“The good news here is that this teen talked because what happens is that kids are usually too afraid to report it. So because she reported it, you will now potentially see other victims coming forward, and this will put an end to it,” Ahearn said in statements reported by the media outlet mentioned above.
This is not the first case of sexual abuse reported in the area. Another doctor, Dr. Gurvindra Johal, was charged with criminal sexual contact and sexual battery after allegedly assaulting some of his patients. Additionally, in October 2022, former gynecologist Robert A. Hadden faced nearly 150 allegations of sexual abuse or misconduct, leading to a $165 million settlement agreement. This highlights the serious issue of sexual abuse by professionals, particularly in the medical field, and the importance of reporting incidents to the authorities.
Investigators asked anyone who believes they may be a victim of Bernardini to report to them by dialing 631-854-8452.