A committee has suspended the medical license of a New Jersey neurologist accused of fondling a patient's breasts and buttocks during two separate examinations when she sought treatment for weakness in her hand earlier this year.
Farooq Rehman, 61, is accused of sexual misconduct against a 37-year-old woman who visited his Neurology Consultants of Central Jersey office in Old Bridge.
During an exam on Aug. 26, Rehman “inappropriately and without medical justification, groped the patient’s buttocks, fondled her bare breasts, and touched her genital area over her clothing several times…for his own prurient interests,” according to a complaint filed Nov. 2.
When the patient returned for a follow up visit on Sept. 9, she secretly recorded the examination on her cellphone. The video shows that during this second examination Rehman fondled her breasts, thighs, hips and buttocks, and touched her genital area, according to the complaint. The complaint also alleges that Rehman, who became sexually aroused during both exams, ignored the woman’s repeated questions as to why this kind of touching was necessary for the treatment of her hand.
After reviewing the video and other evidence during a hearing last week, the Committee of the State Board of Medical Examiners found that Rehman touched the woman in a way that “exceeded any appropriate neurological examination.”
In suspending Rehman’s license, the committee found his actions particularly “insidious and furtive” because he allegedly committed the lewd acts under the guise of a necessary medical examination.
Rehman was arrested Sept. 22 on charges of criminal sexual contact. He is free on bail. Information on his attorney wasn't immediately available.
