The San Diego-area doctor accused of taking hundreds of explicit photos of his patients has had his license suspended by the State Medical Board.
Dr. Jeffrey Abrams has not been charged criminally, but the Board has moved forward with temporarily suspending his license.
A former patient says Abrams took nude photos of her during an exam on Jan. 4 at the Volunteers in Medicine free clinic in El Cajon.
The uninsured woman said she was examined for a complaint of belly button pain.
She claims Abrams told her take off all her clothes then inserted his gloved finger into her vagina and asked "You have pain?"
Then, she claims he had her stand in front of him, pushed her hair away from her exposed breasts, pulled out a cellphone and took five pictures of her.
Attorney Jessica Pride says her client reported the incident to authorities because she didn’t want any other patient to go through the same experience.
A state investigator said more than 1300 explicit photos were on the doctor's work cellphone, a search warrant affidavit shows.
Many of the 1,300 explicit photos showed women’s vaginas, breasts and buttocks, documents alleged.
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There was one explicit photo of a very young girl and video of a patient touching herself in the exam room with Abrams, the documents allege.
Abrams and his attorney agreed to the temporary suspension, according to court documents obtained by NBC 7, but that does not mean Abrams is admitting guilt. It’s all a part of the Medical Board's process.
After receiving a complaint, the Board investigates. It eventually may file an accusation or "charge" against a physician that sets off a hearing process.
While he is being investigated, Abrams has agreed to an interim suspension until he knows if there will a formal accusation against him.
Past President of the San Diego County Medical Society, Dr. Ted Mazer, told NBC 7 the suspension doesn't mean guilt.
"They feel they can move forward with the case. The doctor is basically saying okay, I agree to a suspension of my license while you're bringing up that formal accusation. He still has the right to defend himself against the formal accusation,” Mazer said.
The Medical Board now has 15 days to file a formal accusation. NBC 7’s phone call and email to Abrams' attorney were not returned.
When NBC 7 called to see if the San Diego County District Attorney's Office was investigating potential criminal charges, a spokesperson for the DA declined to comment on pending investigations.
Volunteers in Medicine, issued a statement calling the allegations "very troubling" and said the allegations are not a reflection on the staff at the health care center, the only free medical clinic in the East County.
Ed. Note: A previous version of this article stated a lawsuit had been filed in connection with the investigation. We regret the error.
