Former Drexel University neurologist convicted of sexually abusing patients dies by suicide at a New York City jail
Ricardo A. Cruciani, who was the chair of Drexel’s Department of Neurology until he was fired in 2017, was convicted by a Manhattan jury last month.
A former Drexel University neurologist convicted last month of sexually abusing patients has died by suicide at a New York City jail, according to reports.
Ricardo A. Cruciani, who was the chair of Drexel’s Department of Neurology from 2016 until he was fired in 2017, was convicted by a Manhattan jury on July 29.
The 68-year-old Cruciani’s death by hanging was the 12th in the New York City jail system this year, according to the New York Daily News, which first reported Cruciani’s death on Monday.
The New York City Department of Correction confirmed in an email to The Inquirer that Cruciani died around 6:30 a.m. on Monday and that the cause of death was under investigation with confirmation pending from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
Cruciani was expected to be sentenced next month in a New York state case in which he was convicted of 12 counts, including predatory sexual assault, rape, and sex abuse, and acquitted on two other counts, the Associated Press reported. He faced up to life in prison.
While he worked for Drexel, Cruciani lived in Wynnewood. Before his conviction last month, Cruciani was free on $1 million bail and was living in Westchester County, N.Y., the Daily News reported. On the day of his conviction, he was ordered to await his sentencing at Rikers Island.
In 2017, Cruciani pleaded guilty in Philadelphia Municipal Court to three counts of indecent assault and four counts of harassment by unwanted physical contact for acts he committed against seven women. Cruciani was sentenced to probation.
Attorneys Jeffrey P. Fritz and John M. Pumphrey, who represent 30 women who have accused Cruciani of abuse, said in an emailed statement to The Inquirer that the women “feel cheated of criminal justice but we will continue to seek civil justice for them in Philadelphia against Drexel University … and Cruciani’s Estate.”
Terrie Phoenix, one of the victims, said in a statement: “I take comfort knowing he now faces another judge.”
Hillary Tullin, another victim, said: “It is a sad day for all of his victims who will never get to have finality and never have the chance to address the defendant to tell him directly how his crimes greatly impacted their lives. I feel more fortunate than some because I had the opportunity to testify before a jury and was validated by their guilty verdict. However, there are other women in the federal and New Jersey criminal cases who will never get that chance at criminal justice. His decision today was in no way a sign of remorse or guilt but purely an act of self preservation. He simply could not stand facing the rest of his life behind bars.”
Both women consented to have their names publicized, their lawyers said.
The Daily News reported that, according to sources, Cruciani went into the shower area in the Eric M. Taylor Center on Rikers Island just before 6:30 a.m. Monday, stood on a chair, and used a sheet to hang himself. According to source, there was no floor officer walking the unit as required where Cruciani was assigned, the Daily News reported. A security-booth officer who reportedly just happened to leave that post to check on breakfast found him in the shower.
Louis A. Molina, commissioner of the Department of Correction, said in a statement: “I am deeply saddened to learn of Mr. Cruciani’s passing. We will conduct a preliminary internal review to determine the circumstances surrounding his death. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his loved ones.”
Fred Sosinsky, one of Cruciani’s lawyers, said in a statement emailed to The Inquirer that Cruciani’s family and lawyers “are shocked and saddened beyond belief to have learned of his violent death while in city custody this morning.”
Sosinsky continued: “At our request — and for quite understandable reasons — at the moment of his remand into custody on July 29, the Court directed that NYC Corrections place Ricardo in protective custody and under suicide watch. Neither of these conditions were, to our knowledge, ever complied with. Had they been, we would not be having this terrible discussion.”
Sosinsky said Cruciani’s family and lawyers “are calling for an immediate and objective investigation into the actual circumstances of Ricardo’s death, including, most fundamentally, why in the world Corrections failed to follow the Court’s orders regarding placement of Ricardo.”
Benny Boscio, president of the correction officers’ union, the Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association Inc., said in a statement that new inmates in high-profile cases are typically placed under a suicide watch, which requires additional staffing.
“The fact that this inmate wasn’t put under suicide watch raises serious questions. Our officers were not responsible for this tragic incident, which was clearly a managerial failure,” Boscio said.
Cruciani was appointed chair of Drexel’s neurology department in 2016. He previously worked at Capital Health in New Jersey and served as vice chair of the Department of Pain Medicine & Palliative Care at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City.
He came to the United States in 1984 from Argentina, where he had earned his medical degree at the University of Buenos Aires School of Medicine. He later received a Ph.D. in pharmacology from the same university in 1996.