A New York state anesthesiologist has pleaded guilty to drugging and sexually abusing the family’s nanny while she was sleeping in his home, authorities said.
Paul Jacopelli, 60, pleaded guilty Wednesday before Putnam County Judge Anthony Moret after being indicted by a grand jury in March.
Mr Jacopelli’s lawyer, Steven Gateman, said his client “accepts responsibility for his crimes and is now focused on caring for his family.”
According to court documents, the victim was employed to care for Jacopelli’s children at Jacopelli’s home in southeast Putnam County and sometimes worked the night shift when Jacopelli was on call at a local hospital.
She told investigators that on four occasions in late 2023, she fell asleep, woke up to a rag being placed over her face, smelled a chemical and passed out.
The woman set up a hidden camera to record the perpetrator on December 29, 2023. She lost consciousness when she felt a rag being placed on her face, but woke up and saw the camera footage.
Prosecutors said video clips recorded by the camera showed Jacopelli assaulting the victim.
The woman provided the video clip to law enforcement, and Jacopelli was taken to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office for questioning.
Sheriff’s Office Investigator Keith Simone told the grand jury that Giacopelli admitted to stuffing the anesthetic sevoflurane into a cloth and covering the woman’s mouth and nose, rendering her unconscious.
According to Simone’s testimony, the man confessed to sexually assaulting the woman after she lost consciousness and said he had a “chloroform fetish”.
Simone said Giacopelli told investigators the victim was an easy target because he was “sleeping rough.”
Simone said Giacopelli admitted to bringing drugs home from the hospital. Fentanyl and other drugs were found in the home, Simone testified.
The state’s Board of Medical Practice banned Mr. Jacopelli from practicing medicine after his arrest.
He is expected to be sentenced on Nov. 20 and receive four years in state prison.
