'His depravity has no limits:' Michigan doctor charged in sexual abuse case

( my journal courier )

A Southeast Michigan doctor faces several felony charges for using hidden cameras to secretly record nude images of children and women in hospitals where he worked.

The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office announced on Aug. 20 the charges against Dr. Oumair Aejaz, 40, of Rochester Hills, north of Detroit, who specializes in internal medicine. Aejaz is accused of using hidden cameras to record children as young as two and women of various ages in hospital rooms, changing areas, as well as inside closets, bathrooms and bedrooms he could access and at an area swim club.

In a case compared by Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard to that of Larry Nassar, Aejaz had working privileges at Ascension Genesys Hospital in Grand Blanc Township (Genesee County) and Henry Ford Macomb in Clinton Township (Macomb County). But, he was not on staff, according to the sheriff’s office in a press release

Nassar is a disgraced sports doctor serving decades in prison for molesting girls and women — including some of the nation’s top gymnasts — for years under the guise of medical treatment. He was sentenced in 2018 and worked at Michigan State University and as a team doctor with USA Gymnastics.

Detectives for the sheriff’s office believe Aejaz “recorded sexual encounters he had with numerous women, with hospital patients who were either asleep or unconscious and recorded relatives in the bathroom or while changing clothes,” the release read.

“This is one of the most disturbing sexual predator cases I have seen in my very long career,” Bouchard said. “He violates literally anyone and everyone he can. From a 2-year-old boy to grown women, no one is immune from his disgusting predatory behavior.”

“Violating children in safe spaces as they change for a fun swim or sexually violating women who are still under sedation from a medical procedure shows his depravity has no limits,” Bouchard continued. “At the end of this case, it is my fervent hope he is held fully accountable behind bars.”

In announcing the charges during an Aug. 20 press conference Bouchard was joined by Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald.

The press conference was live-streamed on YouTube and is available below.

“These are children and moms at a swim school,” McDonald said. “They’re there to teach their kids to swim. Because that brings their kids joy and because they want their kids to be safe around water. They were victimized by a person of trust in the community — a medical doctor. It’s more than an invasion of privacy. It robs these moms and kids, and all of us, of a sense of safety we should have when we’re with our kids at a place like that.”

Detectives began to form a case against Aejaz after receiving a tip about him on Aug. 7, according to the release. He was arrested on Aug. 8 at his home as detectives executed a search warrant.

Detectives confiscated six computers, four cell phones and 15 external storage devices from Aejaz’s home. One device had over 13,000 videos Aejaz recorded during the past six years.

Bouchard estimates it will take six months to complete a forensic examination of the confiscated materials.

On Aug. 13, Aejaz was arraigned in a Rochester Hills court. He is charged with 10 counts:

• One count of child sexually abusive activity.

• One count of using a computer to create and or reproduce child sexually abusive material.

• Two counts of capturing/recording children under the age of 18 while nude.

• Two counts of capturing/recording two women over the age of 18 while nude.

• Four counts of using a computer to commit a crime.

Aejaz is not a United States citizen.

He is a citizen of India working in the U.S. on a visa. He came to the U.S. around 2011, completed his residency at Detroit Sinai Grace Hospital and then moved to Dawson, Alabama. He returned to Oakland County to continue his practice in internal medicine in 2018.

The scope of the investigation is expected to increase beyond Genesee and Macomb counties, where the hospitals are located, and include other states or countries, depending on where Aejaz worked, according to Bouchard.

“We are shocked by these allegations and take them very seriously,” Henry Ford Macomb Hospital said in a statement. “This individual has never been an employee of Henry Ford Health but had privileges at several area hospitals, including Henry Ford Macomb Hospital.”

“The safety of our patients and team members is our top priority and we have taken immediate action to prevent him from practicing at our health system,” the statement added.

A spokesperson for Ascension said in an emailed statement to NBC News that the company was aware of “the serious and concerning allegations against a physician who has medical privileges, but is not employed by Ascension Genesys.”

“We take these allegations very seriously and have removed all of the physician’s access to our facilities. The health and safety of our patients and associates is of the utmost importance to us and we are fully cooperating with authorities in their investigation,” the statement said.

During the press conference, Bouchard encouraged anyone who believes they were a victim of Aejaz to contact sheriff’s detectives at OCSOSIU@oakgov.com.