NYPD Surgeon Accused of Sexual Abuse, Allegedly Told Officer “Your Future Is In My Hands”
NEW YORK, NY – A retired NYPD Deputy chief Surgeon is accused of repeatedly sexually abusing a police officer during medical appointments, according to a lawsuit filed Friday in Manhattan supreme Court. The officer claims the surgeon,98-year-old Theobald Reich,exploited his vulnerability following a work-related injury and a prescribed medication regimen.
Then-Lt. Wilding aguasanta, 48, began biweekly visits with Reich in 2018 after suffering a fall while working at an NYPD Viper Unit, where officers monitor public housing cameras. Following neck surgery, Aguasanta was prescribed mental health medication that, according to the lawsuit, impaired his ability to consent or object to the alleged abuse.
The suit alleges that during each appointment, Reich would touch Aguasanta’s penis and attempt to induce an erection, repeatedly asking, “Do you know what this medication does to men?” Reich also allegedly made a racially charged comment, stating, “I like brown skin,” and gifted Aguasanta a bottle of Cuban Rum.
Aguasanta, now retired and living in Hempstead, Long Island, claims he repeatedly told Reich “No,” but feared retaliation if he reported the abuse. “He told me, ‘You’re future is in my hands,'” Aguasanta recalled. “I needed the job. I needed the money,I needed my pension.”
Aguasanta retired in 2021 and receives a pension. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.
Attorney John Scola, representing Aguasanta, stated, “The city cannot escape accountability for the culture of indifference that enabled this abuse.”
Reich hung up on a reporter who attempted to contact him for comment.The city has not yet responded to a request for comment.
