NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—A Newport Beach doctor who specializes in treating members of the LGBT community was charged with sexually assaulting nine male patients under the guise of medical examinations, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office announced on Sept. 26.
Dr. William Thompson IV, 56, of Huntington Beach, was charged on Sept. 21 with eight felony counts of sexual penetration by means of fraudulent representation of professional purpose, three felony counts of sexual battery by fraud, and two felony counts of forcible oral copulation.
He is free on $100,000 bond and is scheduled to be arraigned on Nov. 2 in Newport Beach, prosecutors said.
The alleged assaults occurred between 2016 and 2020. Thompson was arrested Sept. 20 at his medical practice.
He faces a maximum sentence of 30 years to life in prison, plus an additional 25 years if convicted as charged, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Thompson was on probation for a drunk driving conviction on Oct. 12, 2021, according to court records. He pleaded guilty to driving drunk on March 12, 2021.
His attorney in the DUI case, Gary Polston, said he was unaware of the sexual assault case and was not representing Thompson.
