Podiatrist, 79, Pleads No Contest To Sexually Assaulting 4 Patients
TORRANCE (CBSLA.com) — Authorities said a 79-year-old podiatrist has entered a no contest plea to charges he sexually assaulted four patients.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced Thursday that Arnold Lee Serkin -- who practiced in Torrance -- pleaded no contest Wednesday.
Deputy DA Maren Dermody said Serkin -- a Rancho Palos Verdes resident -- entered the pleas open to the court, which means there was no negotiated plea agreement.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Steven Van Sicklen sentenced Serkin to five years formal probation, 365 days of community service and one year of sexual compulsion classes.
Serkin was also ordered to stay away from the victims. He will also have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
The victims -- all female -- were fondled and asked to disrobe during office visits between 2003 and 2009, theDA said. The defendant claimed he was examining the rib area or measuring the patient's hips when he inappropriately touched them, the prosecutor added.