Suburban Philly doctor sentenced to a month imprisonment, five months house arrest for unwanted advances

Doctor sentenced in indecent assaults on patients

By Kathleen Brady Shea
[Philadelphia]Inquirer Staff Writer

Authorities said a doctor who practiced in Kennett Square and was known for treating Lyme disease had another specialty: making unwanted advances to female patients. Peter Fabulian, 63, of Strasburg, who pleaded guilty in December to two counts of indecent assault, was sentenced Tuesday [March 1, 2011] to one month in prison and five months of electronic home confinement, followed by two years of probation.

"I know I've hurt people; I never meant to hurt people," Fabulian told Chester County Judge David F. Bortner.

The judge said Fabulian should have recognized the consequences of his actions. "He never meant to hurt people. . . . That may be, but he certainly did - very deeply and very seriously," Bortner said. "A lesser sentence would depreciate the seriousness of the crimes."

Assistant District Attorney Andrea Cardamone, who sought a six-month jail term, said that after Fabulian was charged with assaulting two women, others came forward. She said that two were within the statute of limitations and that the District Attorney's Office agreed not to file additional charges in exchange for Fabulian's cooperation. She said the agreement also included a provision that the court would hear about the other two cases to show a pattern.

During a hearing that lasted nearly three hours, Cardamone presented two witnesses and read a letter from a third. The women are not being identified by The Inquirer because of the nature of the offenses. Both described Fabulian's sexual overtures as an excruciating breach of trust. The first woman said she had to wait a year and a half for charges to be filed after contacting police because authorities said another victim would bolster her case.

Bortner said Fabulian's sentence would reflect only the two victims in the criminal complaint. He also said he would leave Fabulian's future as a doctor in the hands of the state Board of Osteopathic Medicine. A hearing is scheduled later this month.

Contact staff writer Kathleen Brady Shea at 610-696-3815 or kbrady@phillynews.com.