By My New LA - 14.07.2023 - [USA] - [Sam Sannoufi]
A physician and operator of a Riverside skin care clinic accused of sexually assaulting four female patients pleaded not guilty Friday to multiple felony offenses and was released from jail after posting a $1 million bond.
Dr. Sam Sannoufi, 52, of Newport Beach was arrested for the second time in less than two weeks last Friday and booked into the Robert Presley Jail, where he’s being held without bail.
Sannoufi is charged with five counts of sexual battery of an unconscious person, three counts of sexual penetration of an unconscious person and one count of oral copulation of an unconscious person.
He was arraigned before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Mark Johnson, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for Aug. 29 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
Sannoufi’s attorney, Paul Grech, submitted a motion arguing for a bail reduction based on his client’s lack of prior criminal history, and the judge agreed, removing the defendant’s no-bail hold and setting his surety at $1 million, which Sannoufi promptly provided, securing his release from custody.
He was arrested for the first time on June 27 in connection with an earlier investigation involving a woman who had visited his Timeless Skincare Laser Clinic Primary Care at 6900 Brockton Ave.
“The investigation continued, and additional victims (came) forward with similar allegations they were sexually assaulted by Dr. Sannoufi,” Riverside police spokesman Officer Ryan Railsback said last week.
One victim, identified in court documents only as “C.F.,” alleged she was assaulted in 2017. Another woman, “S.A.,” was allegedly assaulted in January and March 2020, as well as last June. The third victim, “J.V.,” alleged she was assaulted in March and June 2021. The last victim, “K.T.,” was allegedly assaulted on June 12, according to the criminal complaint.
Railsback said the latter victim contacted the agency’s Sexual Assault-Child Abuse Unit soon afterward, alleging that she was assaulted during a consultation.
Railsback said SACA detectives gathered sufficient evidence to obtain an arrest warrant, and Sannoufi was summoned to the department’s Orange Street station, where he was taken into custody without incident last month. He posted a $1 million bond and was released from jail a couple of hours later.
Sannoufi has no documented prior misdemeanor or felony convictions in Riverside County.
According to the Medical Board of California, the defendant has been a licensed doctor in the state since March 2009. He’s a graduate of the Ukrainian State Medical University in Kiev and has no listed disciplinary actions, administrative citations or malpractice suits on file with regulators in California.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can contact Dignity4Patients, whose helpline is open Monday to Thursday 10am to 4pm.