A Rikers Island physician’s assistant allegedly raped four inmates for over a year, authorities said Monday.
Sidney Wilson, 60, was indicted on 43 counts of rape, sexual abuse and related crimes, said Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark.
The case surfaced after one of the alleged victims, Kim Ayala, reported the abuse to a state Department of Corrections investigator, according to The Intercept, which first reported the story.
“When you’re incarcerated, you’re almost at a loss,” Ayala told the site. “The physical attention, the fact that he’s a doctor, the fact that you can get things from the outside … he could take advantage of women in that situation.”
Ayala says Wilson gave her candy, cigarettes and chicken wings if she agreed to show him her vagina or let him touch her sexually.
Wilson would also give her unnecessary prescription medications, according to Ayala. She would sell those drugs, like Baclofen, a muscle relaxant, and Gabapentin, a seizure drug, to other inmates.
The sexual abuse occurred between October 2013 and December 2014.
Wilson, who worked for the for-profit Corizon Health, has denied the charges.
“Am I a sex maniac or something?” Wilson asked when reached by the Intercept. “I do not do any kind of exam — especially pelvic exam where I have to touch them in the private part – without a female chaperone there.”
He argued that Ayala, and three other women, were upset because he refused to write prescriptions for them.
“I’m telling you, these ladies — they come to you for some type of drugs, and if you don’t give it to them, that’s it,” he said. “You’re on the black list.”
If convicted of the most serious charge, Wilson faces up to four years in prison for each charge. He was released after posting $7,500 bail.
“The defendant allegedly used his position of trust to sexually abuse female inmates who came to him seeking medical treatment,” Clark said.
Julie Rendelman, Wilson’s lawyer, said that one alleged victim recanted and indicated the other women were lying.
“There’s a lot of evidence that indicates the women may not be telling the truth in regards to what happened,” said Rendelman, noting there’s a pending civil case.
