CHARLESTON W.Va. — Charleston doctor Steven Matulis has been sentenced to 1 to 5 years in prison on one count of first-degree sexual abuse.
Kanawha County Circuit Judge Duke Bloom laid down the sentence on Monday.
“This has been a difficult case for a number of people,” Bloom said in the courtroom. “The defense attorney has indicated it’s been a difficult day for the doctor and his family. Also, it has been difficult for all the families who received care and were required to appear here and testify about their cases. It’s difficult for the community, in that, we had a person held in high esteem in this community who had a unique opportunity, to has the jury found to take advantage of an incapacitated individual. It’s a very serious matter.”
Under the sentence, he must pay a $10,000 fine, register as a sex offender and face five years of supervised release after completing his prison term.
He was accused of inappropriately touching patients while they were sedated under anesthesia.
Last month, a jury convicted Matulis on the one count of first-degree sexual abuse but acquitted him on two more serious charges of sexual assault.
“You took advantage of your position,” Bloom said. “Not only with the patients that you saw but with the people who were there for your assistance and participants in the surgical room themselves. That is a great deal of concern and has weighed very seriously on my mind.”
The trial that lasted a week long, saw 26 witnesses testify about the activity, including four women who were victims.
Bloom denied any motion from Matulis’ attorney to reverse the conviction, saying there was sufficient evidence presented at trial.
Matulis’ medical license had been inactive since 2016 when law enforcement began investigating complaints against the doctor. He had been a gastroenterologist at Charleston Area Medical Center since 1994.