California doctor suspected of sexually assaulting patients

An Irvine doctor who specializes in treating liver diseases is suspected of sexually assaulting two female patients.

Dr. John Carl Hoefs, 79, was arrested on May 3 and charged with seven counts of sexual battery, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. He was released after posting a $500,000 bond.

Hoefs is accused of grabbing the breasts of two patients during exams at a medical office in Irvine affiliated with Hoag Hospital.

He is suspected of assaulting a female patient suffering from a liver condition beginning in 2020, and on four other occasions, the district attorney’s office said. During the assaults, the woman’s breasts were exposed and grabbed during medical visits, with Hoefs accused of removing the gown after the patient tried to cover herself.

Another woman was groped in 2016 and 2017, authorities said.

“Sexual predators come in all forms and in all walks of life – even ones wearing white doctors’ coats,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in statement on Thursday. “Women seeking potentially life-saving medical treatment should not be subjected to sexual abuse by the medical professional they have entrusted with their lives.”

Hoefs, a hepatologist, has also been affiliated with the University of California, Irvine, and the Liver Specialty Center in Irvine.

He is set to be arraigned in court on June 13 at the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach, where he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in state prison if found guilty of all seven counts.

Anyone with additional information about Hoefs’ activities or any additional potential victims should contact the Irvine Police Department Detective Rebecca Steen at 949-724-7170 or email rsteen@cityofirvine.org.