Former UCLA doctor James Heaps sentenced to 11 years for sex crimes

A former University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) doctor was sentenced Tuesday to 11 years in prison after being accused of sexually assaulting his patients as an obstetrician-gynecologist at the school.

James Heaps, 69, pleaded guilty to 13 charges, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release, including six counts of sexual penetration of an unconscious person, five counts of sexual assault by fraud and two counts of sexual exploitation of a patient.

Throughout his 35-year career at UCLA, the university spent nearly $700 million to settle civil lawsuits filed against him.

He will also have to register for life as a sex offender.

APPEAL COURT REVERSES UCLA GYNECOLOGIST’S CONVICTION ON TRIAL ISSUE

James Heaps was sentenced to 11 years in prison for sexually assaulting his patients during his 35-year medical career at UCLA. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times via AP/Pool, file)

Heaps’ plea comes after a California appeals court determined that he was denied a fair trial in 2023 due to concerns that a juror did not speak enough English to properly discharge his responsibilities.

At the time, his lawyer, Leonard Levine, told the Associated Press that “justice is slow, but it has finally been served.”

“I think it’s only a matter of time before he’s completely exonerated,” he added.

Levine did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

FLASHBACK: EX-PATIENTS OF UCLA GYNECOLOGIST ACCUSED OF SEXUALLY ASSAULTING THEM ARE “THE VOICE OF SO MANY,” LAWYERS SAY

James Heaps’ former patients at UCLA previously claimed the school ignored their complaints about him. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times, file)

Prosecutors, however, framed the outcome differently.

“Today is the second time we have held James Heaps accountable for the unconscionable crimes he committed while entrusted with the safety of his patients,” Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said, according to the statement.

“For years, Heaps exploited the sacred trust between a doctor and patient to prey on vulnerable victims during medical procedures. This sentence ensures that Heaps will ultimately be held accountable for the harm he inflicted under the guise of care. To the survivors: I hope today gives you closure knowing that the person who violated your trust has been finally brought to justice. To all survivors, please know that we believe you and we will fight for you.”

The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Heaps’ previous 2023 conviction was overturned after it was discovered that one of the jurors did not speak English sufficiently. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times via AP/Pool, file)

In 2023, the doctor’s former patients claimed he groped them, made suggestive comments, or performed unnecessarily invasive exams at the university’s student health center, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, or in his campus office.

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The women who filed lawsuits against Heaps say the school ignored their comments and allowed the abuse to continue.

Greg Normand-Diamond of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.