Ex-NorthShore Gynecologist Admits To Sexually Abusing Patients

SKOKIE, IL — A suspended obstetrician-gynecologist accused of the sexual abuse of dozens of former patients pleaded guilty Tuesday and will remain a registered sex offender for the rest of his life.

Dr. Fabio Ortega, 75, of Chicago, was initially arrested in September 2018 and charged with the criminal sexual assault of a patient at his Skokie office the year before. In November 2019, the former NorthShore University HealthSystem doctor was indicted on an additional criminal sexual assault charge alleging similar conduct toward a patient in his Lincolnwood office that occurred in 2016.

As part of his negotiated plea of guilty in both cases, the charge was amended from a class 1 felony to a class 2 felony, and Ortega was sentenced to three years in prison by Cook County Circuit Judge Anjana Hansen. With time served and other sentence reductions, he could be out in less than a year.

State regulators suspended Fabio Ortega's license to practice medicine after his arrest more than four years ago, and civil court records indicate dozens of "Jane Does" have alleged wrongdoing against him and his former employers, NorthShore and Swedish Covenant, which have merged during the three years since Ortega's arrest.

NorthShore has settled at least five lawsuits in which it and Ortega have been named as defendants. According to the allegations, Ortega was a serial abuser of his patients for decades, fondling them in non-medically appropriate ways and engaging in sexual "grooming."

Several of the women who alleged abuse have said they were unaware how improper his behavior was until learning of his arrest from news reports, and some have said criminal charges were not pursued by prosecutors due to the statute of limitations. A change in state law removed such limitation on criminal sex crimes, such as those with which Ortega was charged, starting with incidents that take place after Jan. 1, 2020.

Tamara Holder, a Chicago-based attorney who has represented Jane Does 1 through 32 in civil cases, said she believes that Ortega's admission of guilt strengthens her civil lawsuits against him and NorthShore, which she said a judge had stayed been pending the resolution of the criminal case.

"Certainly he has his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, however, we believe the guilty plea will be admissible to show that he did indeed engage in behavior outside the scope of standard care," Holder said.

"Now is the time for NorthShore to do the right thing," she said. "Apologize to the patients who trusted NorthShore and Swedish to provide them with safe health care — and not only apologize to their patients but compensate them for a lifetime of damage."

The lawsuits allege NorthShore covered up complaints about Ortega and allowed him to continue to work with patients — even after learning that he was under criminal investigation — before allowing him to retire.

One of the women who Ortega was convicted of having abused addressed him during his sentencing hearing Tuesday in Skokie.

“You have broken me. You haunt my dreams and creep into my most intimate moments. I am a shell of my former self. I'm not living, I am barely surviving day to day," she said in a victim impact statement. "No matter what I do, how much medicine I take, how many times a week I see my therapist, how many people I surround myself with, this will forever be my new identity. I will always be a victim but am hoping that one day I will learn to be a survivor.”

In a statement in court, Ortega apologized to women who "felt" he abused them. His pretrial bond was revoked, and he was taken to Cook County Jail ahead of a possible transfer to an Illinois Department of Corrections state prison. His attorney declined to comment for this article.

Spokespeople for NorthShore provided the following statement and said no further information would be provided.

"Since this is a legal matter, we are unable to comment on any individual claims. However, we have been working in good faith to reach a supportive resolution with those individuals who have raised claims," the statement said. "We respect the courage demonstrated by our patients in raising this matter and place great value in any opportunity to build upon the excellent quality of care we strive to provide our patients."

Related:

• NorthShore Gynecologist Indicted On Sexual Assault Charge
• Ex-NorthShore Gynecologist Faces Second Sexual Assault Charge
• NorthShore Put Patients At Risk Of Indicted Gynecologist, Lawsuits Allege
• More Women Sue NorthShore And Its Disgraced Former Gynecologist