Putnam Anesthesiologist Pleads Guilty to Sexually Abusing Woman

The chief anesthesiologist at Putnam Hospital faces four years in prison after he pleaded guilty Wednesday to sexual abuse of a woman that he had knocked unconscious with a chemical.

The Putnam County district attorney’s office announced yesterday that Paul Giacopelli of Southeast confessed to the charges of first-degree sexual abuse and second-degree assault, both felonies.

In addition to time in jail, Giacopelli will have post-release supervision for up to 10 years and must register as a sex offender, the district attorney’s office mentioned in a statement.

Putnam County District Attorney Robert Tendy said the victim’s cooperation, bravery and willingness to testify resulted in the defendant’s guilty plea.

“I’m very proud of the work of the Sheriff’s Department and (Assistant District Attorney Melissa) Lynch; but I’m mostly proud of the victim’s courage in going through this process, which led to the defendant’s arrest and conviction,” Tendy said.

The inquiry was led by Investigator Keith Simone and other members of the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.

Giacopelli is scheduled to be sentenced by County Court Judge Anthony Mole on Nov. 20.

Martin Wilbur

Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/