Cardiologist John Giacomini pleaded guilty to one count of felony abusive sexual contact. Giacomini, 73, of Atherton, had practiced medicine and cardiology for over 30 years and from 1985 until 2018 was the Chief of the Cardiology Section at the VA Hospital in Palo Alto, Calif. According to the plea agreement, Giacomini acknowledged he occupied a position of significant authority, prestige, and influence within the VA Healthcare System and at Stanford University, where he had a faculty appointment in the School of Medicine. In addition, Giacomini acknowledged that as the Chief of the Cardiology Section within the VA, he also occupied a position of public trust, with overall responsibility for meeting the needs of the VA patient population.
Beginning in the fall of 2017, Giacomini repeatedly subjected a subordinate electrophysiologist to unwanted and unwelcome sexual contact, to include hugging, kissing, and intimate touching while on VA premises. On November 10, 2017, the victim explicitly told Giacomini she was not interested in a romantic or sexual relationship with him. She also forcibly resisted his repeated attempts to kiss her on the mouth. Nevertheless, Giacomini continued to subject his subordinate to unwanted sexual advances and touching, culminating on December 20, 2017, when Giacomini turned out the lights, pulled the victim out of her chair, released the drawstring on her scrub pants and fondled her breast, buttocks, and vagina until a janitor opened the office door and interrupted the encounter. The victim later resigned from her position at the VA, citing Giacomini’s behavior as her principal reason for leaving.
