PALO ALTO – A judge on Tuesday sentenced a longtime VA Palo Alto Health Care System cardiologist to eight months in prison for groping a subordinate doctor, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
John Giacomini, 73, of Atherton, previously pleaded guilty to one count of abusive sexual contact.
Giacomini practiced medicine and cardiology from 1985 to 2018 and most recently served as the chief of the cardiology section at the hospital.
Prosecutors said Giacomini admitted that he repeatedly subjected the victim to unwanted and unwelcome sexual contact – including hugging, kissing and intimate touching – beginning in the fall of 2017.
On Nov. 10 of that year, the victim told Giacomini that she was not interested in a romantic or sexual relationship with him, and she physically resisted his repeated attempts to kiss her on the mouth, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors said Giacomini continued to subject the victim to unwanted sexual advances and touching, and on Dec. 20, 2017, he “aggressively groped” her during a meeting in her office.
The victim later resigned from her position at the hospital and cited Giacomini’s conduct as the main reason for leaving.
A federal grand jury indicted Giacomini on March 12, 2020, charging him with one felony count of abusive sexual contact.
At the sentencing hearing, the victim spoke about the harm she suffered from Giacomini’s sexual harassment and abuse, prosecutors said.
“I felt overwhelming disappointment that my chief and former mentor who I trusted would abuse his position like that,” she said. “During that period at the VA, I felt a myriad of emotions, from fear to helplessness to disgust to anger and finally sadness.”
“The primary reason I reported these events was to help prevent this from happening to anyone else again,” she continued, “especially women fellows in the field of cardiology.”
In a sentencing memorandum, Giacomini’s attorney, Anthony Brass, said his client “has accepted full responsibility for the offense conduct that was charged in the indictment.” However, Brass argued that Giacomini’s lack of criminal record, age and potential rehabilitation made him an “excellent candidate” for probation with home confinement.
“Furthermore, there is no question that the offense in this case could not have taken place without Dr. Giacomini occupying a prestigious professional position, one that he will never be able to occupy again,” Brass said.
Prosecutors said Judge Beth Freeman was moved by the victim’s courage and the “egregiousness of Giacomini’s conduct” to dole out a sentence harsher than house arrest or probation.
In addition to eight months in prison, Freeman ordered Giacomini to serve one year of supervised release and pay a fine of $15,000.
