State of Colorado permanently strips cardiologist Stephen Matthews of medical license, six months after rape convictions

The Colorado Medical Board on Tuesday formally stripped former doctor Stephen Matthews of his medical license, six months after a jury convicted him of rape, and four months after he was sent to prison for 158 years after drugging and raping women he met on online dating sites.

Matthews, who was a cardiologist, had agreed to stop practicing medicine in May 2023, after date rape charges were filed against him in Denver. On Tuesday, in a document signed by Matthews, that agreement was converted to a permanent revocation of his license. He had been practicing medicine in Colorado since 2021, according to state records.

In the new agreement, Matthews conceded that if the case against his medical license was proved, he would be found to have committed "unprofessional conduct." As of Tuesday, Matthews and state regulators agreed "he is permanently relinquishing a license to practice in Colorado." In the agreement, Matthews, who is currently incarcerated in the Crowley County Correctional Facility, "agrees not to apply for reactivation, reinstatement or issuance of a new license to practice medicine in Colorado at any time in the future." The newly posted document says the terms of the order were "mutually negotiated and determined."

Police, prosecutors and a string of women say between 2019 and 2023, Matthews met women on dating apps then drugged and sexually assaulted them.

At his October 2024, sentencing, Matthews' lawyer indicated the former cardiologist planned to appeal his convictions.