California doctor suspected of sexually abusing patients

An Irvine doctor who specializes in treating liver disease is suspected of sexually abusing two patients.

According to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, Dr. John Carl Hoefs, 79, arrested May 3 and charged with seven counts of sexual assault. He was released after posting $500,000 bail.

Hoefs is accused of grabbing the breasts of two patients during examinations at a doctor’s office affiliated with Hoag Hospital in Irvine.

He is suspected of attacking a patient suffering from liver disease starting in 2020 and on four other occasions, prosecutors said. The attacks included the woman’s breasts being exposed and grabbed during doctor’s visits, with Hoefs accused of removing the gown after the patient tried to cover herself.

Authorities say another woman was groped in 2016 and 2017.

“Sexual predators come in all forms and in all walks of life – even those who wear white medical coats,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement Thursday. “Women seeking potentially life-saving medical treatment should not be subjected to sexual abuse by the medical professionals to whom they have trusted their lives.”

Hoefs, a hepatologist, is also affiliated with the University of California, Irvine and the Liver Specialty Center in Irvine.

He is scheduled to go on trial June 13 at the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach, where he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in state prison if found guilty on all seven counts.

Anyone with additional information about Hoefs’ activities or other potential victims should contact Irvine Police Department Detective Rebecca Steen at 949-724-7170 or email [email protected].