A prominent surgeon and professor allegedly raped a woman at gunpoint at his Manhattan apartment after the victim had come to him for career advice, according to prosecutors.
Dr. Maurizio Miglietta — currently a professor of surgery at Touro College — was accused of first-degree rape and attempted rape. He was arraigned in state supreme court Tuesday afternoon.
“The alleged conduct in this matter is beyond disturbing. You have a power imbalance that we allege was exploited,” Manhattan District Alvin Bragg said about the allegations.
According to prosecutors, the 56-year-old Miglietta met the 28-year-old victim at a conference on June 5. She later came to him for advice about the medical field, and the two ended up back at his apartment in the Financial District.
That’s where the doctor kissed the victim without her consent, court records state. She tried to pull away, which led to Miglietta lifting his shirt — displaying a gun he claimed was loaded. He then placed it by her head and allegedly forced her to perform sex acts on him.
The victim managed to escape by claiming she had a meeting she needed to get to.
Miglietta pleaded not guilty. His attorney noted that his client also works with the U.S. Marshall Service.
“He’s probably the most prominent person working as a surgeon and in law enforcement and there’s no basis for these charges,” defense attorney John Esposito said.
According to his bio, Miglietta was formerly the chief of acute care surgery at NY-Presbyterian Medical Center Columbia and before that was the director of trauma at Bellevue Hospital. He is also an honorary police surgeon with the NYPD — although sources told NBC New York he never actually worked with the department or received money from them.
The judge granted bail at $1 million cash. Miglietta was still in police custody late Tuesday night. His next court appearance was scheduled for January.