Hartford HealthCare rheumatology chief among three men charged with child sexual exploitation

Taylor Hartz, Hartford Courant
·2 min read
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A Hartford HealthCare rheumatology chief is one of three men facing criminal charges as the result of a joint operation between the Meriden Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation targeting people seeking sexual activity with children, police said.

The police department and FBI collaborated on the joint operation this month, according to police, and arrested a 28-year-old man, a 61-year-old man and a 50-year-old man who are charged with attempting to make sexual contact with victims younger than 16 years old.

John Magaldi, 61, was charged with criminal attempt at risk of injury, sexual contact with a victim under the age of 16, criminal attempted second-degree sexual assault and criminal attempted commercial sexual abuse of a minor and interfering with police.

Magaldi is the chief of rheumatology at the Hartford HealthCare Bone and Joint Institute.

According to his profile on the Hartford HealthCare website, Magaldi works at the Bone and Joint Institutes at Hartford Hospital and Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington

A spokesperson for Hartford HealthCare said Magaldi has been placed on administrative leave.

“We are troubled to learn of the arrest and we take these allegations seriously,” Hartford HealthCare told the Hartford Courant in a statement issued Monday. “With safety as a core value, we have placed Dr. John Magaldi on administrative leave, and we are working to gather information from law enforcement authorities so that we can address this situation appropriately.

According to his HHC profile, he attended medical school at St. George’s University School of Medicine and completed his residency, fellowship and internship at Yale University.

He is a member of several professional organizations including the American College of Rheumatology, American College of Physicians, American Medical Association, the Connecticut State Medical Society, according to HHC.

Meriden police also charged William Suarez, 28, with criminal attempt at risk of injury, sexual contact with a victim under the age of 16, criminal attempted second-degree sexual assault and criminal attempt commercial sexual abuse of a minor.

Francisco Carrero, 50, was also charged with criminal attempted at risk of injury, sexual contact with a victim under the age of 16, criminal attempted second-degree sexual assault, criminal attempted commercial sexual abuse of a minor and possession of narcotics.

The police department said the Special Crimes Unit put in significant time investigating these alleged crimes and its partnerships with the FBI and New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office were key to the success of the operation.

“The Meriden Police Department is devoted to fully investigating any allegation of sexual abuse of juvenile or adult victims,” Sergeant Michael Boothroyd said in a statement. “We have a network of partner agencies that can facilitate providing services while also working toward enforcement when appropriate.”

Suarez and Carrero’s bonds were set at $250,000, police said, while Magaldi’s was set at $350,000.

All three men are scheduled to appear in court next on March 22, records show.