Former DC Dentist Charged With Sexually Assaulting Patients

POTOMAC, MD — A former dentist from Potomac was indicted Tuesday by a grand jury on 21 criminal charges that he sexually assaulted three of his patients and an employee while they were sedated with nitrous oxide. Bilal Ahmed, 44, who practiced in downtown Washington, D.C., was also indicted on a charge that he improperly touched another former employee.

Mahsa Azimirad, 26, of North Bethesda, Ahmed’s former dental practice’s office manager, was also indicted Tuesday on a charge accusing her of lying to a grand jury during the investigation of Ahmed, according to a release from the Department of Justice.

Ahmed was indicted on 21 counts of sexually abusing, or otherwise improperly touching, former patients and employees. The charges include 14 felony counts of sexual abuse, four misdemeanor counts of sexual abuse, and three misdemeanor counts of assault. Azimirad was indicted on one count of perjury. They will be arraigned on Oct. 13.

According to evidence presented in arrest warrant affidavits, at earlier court hearings, and in public documents, Ahmed was practicing as a dentist at Universal Smiles DC, in the 2300 block of M Street NW. The practice was originally called Bilal Ahmed DDS PC dba Universal Smiles DC. Ahmed is the owner of these dental practices.

Prosecutors say that on May 21, 2014, Ahmed performed dental treatment to the patient, including administering nitrous oxide to him through a face mask. The patient alleges when the mask came of his face, he realized that the defendant was sexually assaulting him. He also realized that the door was closed and no one was in the room with them. He reported the assault to the Metropolitan Police Department.

During the investigation, additional victims were identified, including two former male patients and a former male employee. The other former patients also were under nitrous oxide at the time of the incidents, the government alleges. The dates of the alleged assaults span from April 24, 2013, through May 21, 2014.

Ahmed’s D.C. dental license was suspended on Nov. 3, 2014, and his Maryland dental license was suspended on April 6, 2016.

Azimirad, the former office manager at Ahmed’s dental firms, is accused of giving false testimony to a grand jury on Nov. 18, 2014.

Both defendants previously were arrested and charged in criminal complaints in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Ahmed was arrested on Jan. 7, 2016, at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. As one of the conditions of his pre-trial release, Ahmed is precluded from practicing dentistry in any capacity.

Azimirad was arrested on June 16, 2016. Both Ahmed and Azimirad pleaded not guilty at their earlier court appearances.