Oral surgeon charged with indecent assault found guilty

PEABODY – A Peabody District Court jury found an oral surgeon who practiced in Lynn guilty of fondling a 16-year-old patient while she was under sedation in 2010.”The evidence proved that this defendant took advantage of a patient who was in an especially vulnerable position and grossly abused her trust of him,” Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett wrote in announcing the verdict.Dr. George Hatzigiannis, 41, of Boxford, was found guilty of indecent assault and battery on a person over 14 years, according to the announcement.Hatzigiannis practiced in an office at 85 Exchange St., Lynn. An office employee told police she saw Hatzigiannis “holding, cupping” the left breast of a patient who was under sedation for the removal of four wisdom teeth in Fall 2010, according to a police report. The patient was fully clothed.Another employee told police she saw Hatzigiannis previously trying to peek into a female patient’s pajama bottoms during surgery, either looking through the button fly or by lifting the elastic waist of the pants.Hatzigiannis pleaded not guilty at his Feb. 28, 2012 arraignment and was released on a $100,000 personal surety bond. He was ordered not to practice dentistry until he provided police reports detailing the assault charge to the state Board of Registration in Dentistry. Hatzigiannis later voluntarily agreed to not practice dentistry following his arraignment and the Board of Dentistry is now “considering all options available, including revocation of license, based on the criminal conviction,” according to Blodgett’s office.Judge Matthew Nestor sentenced Hatzigiannis to 2? years in the House of Correction, with one year to be served and the balance suspended for 2? years, Blodgett announced.After release, Hatzigiannis is required to register as a sex offender, undergo both a sex offender and a mental-health evaluation, and receive any treatment deemed necessary. He is also required to stay away from and have no contact with the victim. He was taken immediately into custody.Nobody answered the phone and a phone message could not be left at the Hatzigiannis home Wednesday.”Dr. Hatzigiannis takes heart from the support of his family, friends and colleagues,” defense attorney Paul Ceril said Wednesday afternoon. He declined to comment on the verdict or the sentence.Cyrus Moulton can be reached at [email protected].