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Former Drexel neurologist facing sex-assault charges in New York

The former head of Drexel University's neurology department was sentenced to probation last year for molesting female patients in Philadelphia.

Ricardo Cruciani, former Drexel University neurologist, faces charges that, for years, he sexually assaulted a woman in New York City.
Ricardo Cruciani, former Drexel University neurologist, faces charges that, for years, he sexually assaulted a woman in New York City.Read morePhiladelphia Police Department via NJ Advance Media via AP

A former Drexel University neurologist who was sentenced to probation last year in Philadelphia for molesting female patients was taken into custody Tuesday by New York police to face charges that he repeatedly sexually assaulted a woman there for years.

The New York Post reported that an arrest warrant was issued in Manhattan for Ricardo Cruciani and he was expected to be extradited back to New York for an arraignment Wednesday. The Post did not report where Cruciani was arrested.

Cruciani, 63, of Wynnewood, was facing multiple counts of rape and other sex crimes he allegedly committed against a 45-year-old woman who had called a sexual-abuse hotline and reported that Cruciani assaulted her between 2005 and 2012, the Associated Press reported.

Cruciani in November pleaded guilty in Philadelphia Municipal Court to three counts of indecent assault and four counts of harassment by unwanted physical contact for acts he committed against seven women.

Philadelphia police arrested Cruciani in September, six months after Drexel fired him from his position as chairman of the neurology department of its College of Medicine. Cruciani's medical license was suspended in October.

The Associated Press last year reported that at least 17 women in Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey had stepped forward to accuse Cruciani of sexual misconduct dating back at least a dozen years.

The New York Police Department previously investigated but closed a case of a 37-year-old woman who reported that he had tried to kiss and grope her, according to the Associated Press.

Cruciani, who specialized in the treatment of long-term intractable pain, worked for years at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York before moving to New Jersey, where he worked for Capital Health Medical Center, near Trenton, from 2014 to 2016.