A doctor from Newport Beach who operated a skin-care clinic in Riverside will be permanently banned from practicing medicine under a plea bargain reached this week in a case where he was accused of sexually assaulting patients, the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office said.
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Sam Sannoufi, 55, pleaded guilty on Monday, June 8, to three counts of sexual battery involving an unconscious person, all misdemeanors. In exchange, nine felony counts were dismissed.
The plea came as the case’s trial was about to begin at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
Superior Court Judge Joshlyn Pulliam sentenced Sannoufi to two years of probation. Pulliam also ordered him to pay restitution and to register as a sex offender, an act that prohibits Sannoufi from holding a medical license.
“It was paramount to our office that we made sure that this defendant was convicted and that, with this plea, he must register as a sex offender for life and have his medical license permanently revoked for life,” said John Hall, a spokesman for the District Attorney’s Office.
“All of the victims included in the counts he pled guilty to were satisfied that justice was done and that this defendant would never treat another patient, as well as be a lifetime convicted sex offender,” Hall said.
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Some of the victims were reluctant to cooperate, Hall said, including one who refused to testify. State law prohibits forcing alleged victims of sexual assault to testify, Hall added.
Riverside police detectives began investigating Sannoufi in June 2023 when a customer alleged that she was assaulted during a consultation at Sannoufi’s business, Timeless Skincare Laser Clinic Primary Care, at 6900 Brockton Ave. He was arrested on suspicion of sexual battery and forcible digital penetration. Sannoufi posted $1 million bail and was released.
The next month, Sannoufi was arrested again after others told Riverside police he sexually assaulted them during examinations. He remained free on bail.
The three crimes happened in 2017, 2021 and 2023, according to the criminal complaint.
Sannoufi had been licensed as a doctor in California since 2009 and until his license lapsed for nonpayment in 2024, according to the Medical Board of California. He graduated from the Ukrainian State Medical University in Kiev and had no previous disciplinary actions, administrative citations or malpractice suits on file with regulators.
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City News Service contributed to this report.