Mass. Pediatrician Accused of Sexually Assaulting 24 Patients over Generations

The prosecution has said two of the now 24 accusers are still minors, according to CBS News

Two dozen women have now accused a retired Massachusetts pediatrician of sexually assaulting and raping them while they were under his care as minors, according to reports.

Dr. Richard Kauff was initially accused by two women who connected through a social media discussion group after one of them posted a question about annual checkup procedures, WCVB, NBC and CBS reported.

At his arraignment on Monday, Kauff pled not guilty to 16 counts of different types of assault, including rape and indecent assault and battery, CBS reported.

Kauff was charged on Nov. 2 and by the time of his arraignment nearly three weeks later, 22 more accusers came forward with the number of allegations “growing exponentially,” Plymouth County Assistant District Attorney Jeremy Beth Kusmin said in court, according to NBC.

“We anticipate dozens more similar charges,” he said, according to the outlet.

The prosecution has said two of the now 24 accusers are still minors, according to CBS.

Allegations started pouring in after one of the initial accusers asked a discussion group on social media whether it’s standard to have vaginal penetration during a routine annual exam, the outlets reported. She had initially shared the information with her therapist who encouraged her to notify law enforcement.

Another woman responded to the post and the two soon realized they had both been treated by Kauff. Kauff allegedly performed these exams on the two women for over a decade, starting as early as when they were eight years old, according to NBC.

"He would tell her it would be uncomfortable and it might quote 'feel like a rocket ship,” Kusmin said.

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Kauff has been released on a $50,000 bail, according to WCVB, under the condition that he not leave the state or be unsupervised around children under 16.

"He is heartbroken at these charges and adamantly maintains his innocence," Kelli Porges, his attorney, tells PEOPLE in a statement. "This is a witch hunt and I am completely confident he will be exonerated.”

He is set to return to court on Jan. 11.

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