California News

Multimedia News

Female sluggers on the court and stump
20 photos
Russia's Vera Dushevina returns a shot to Ser...
LA and Philly battle for the pennant
20 photos
Justin Maiuro of Mantua, NJ, shows off his Ph...
PETA gets naked and bloody again
16 photos
Partially clothed protesters seen with taped ...
Cute dogs, bulls and a green polar bear
15 photos
Dogs wait in line to be blessed during a bles...
High School Musical 3 Debate: Tisdale vs. Hudgens
20 photos
U.S. actress Ashley Tisdale arrives for the B...

Dentist sentenced in rape of patient

Nov 15, 2007 12:00 AM (331 days ago) by Courtney Mabeus, The Examiner
This story ranks Not ranked
Related Topics: WASHINGTON
Former Bethesda dentist David Fuster who now awaits sentencing in a case where he is alleged to have raped a young patient.
(AP)
Former Bethesda dentist David Fuster who now awaits sentencing in a case where he is alleged to have raped a young patient.

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - A former Bethesda dentist who fled to Mexico before he could be sentenced in the rape of a 15-year-old female patient four years ago will now serve 20 years in a Maryland prison.

David Fuster, 51, told Judge D. Warren Donohue on Wednesday he was not guilty of raping the girl while she was under sedation in his office in 2001, adding that he fled with his wife and five children out of fear.

He was arrested at a resort on the Yucatan Peninsula in April and extradited to Maryland in September, court spokesman Seth Zucker said.

The victim, who is now 21, attended Wednesday’s sentencing. She told the judge that she lived in constant fear while Fuster was on the run.

This story continues below
Advertisement

State’s Attorney John McCarthy called Fuster’s sentencing an “appropriate reflection of the horrific nature of his crime.”

“The defendant violated the trust of a young girl on a multitude of levels,” McCarthy said. “Not only was he an adult who had care of a juvenile, but he was a dentist who had care of a patient. He used the tools of his trade to rape a 15-year-old child.”

Fuster, a citizen of Peru, was convicted in May 2003 of second-degree rape, child abuse and third-degree sex offenses.

He was allowed to remain out of prison on bail before his July 2003 sentencing because of an agreement between his lawyer and prosecutors in the State’s Attorney’s Office, which was under direction of Attorney General Doug Gansler at the time.

Fuster will be eligible for parole in 10 years.

Under the extradition agreement, Fuster cannot be charged with additional crimes in the case, Zucker said.

cmabeus@dcexaminer.com

Add a Comment


Name: (required)
Comments:
characters left
Comments are regulated by the Terms of Use.

Comments from Examiner Readers

3:00 PM MST on Thu., Nov. 15, 2007 re: "Dentist sentenced in rape of patient"

Examiner Reader said:
He got the right sentence! Now, he's going to be a registered sex offender and he deserves it. Justice prevailed for this young woman. --Tami

131 agree | 123 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree

9:39 AM MST on Thu., Nov. 15, 2007 re: "Dentist sentenced in rape of patient"

Examiner Reader said:
He got the right sentence! Now, he's going to be a registered sex offender and he deserves it. Justice prevailed for this young woman. --Tami

129 agree | 105 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
9:38 AM MST on Thu., Nov. 15, 2007 re: "Dentist sentenced in rape of patient"

Examiner Reader said:
He got the right sentence! Now, he's going to be a registered sex offender and he deserves it. Justice prevailed for this young woman. --Tami

102 agree | 123 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
9:38 AM MST on Thu., Nov. 15, 2007 re: "Dentist sentenced in rape of patient"

Examiner Reader said:
He got the right sentence! Now, he's going to be a registered sex offender and he deserves it. Justice prevailed for this young woman. --Tami

113 agree | 105 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Advertisement