A man who founded and operated a Los Angeles rehabilitation center for alcohol and drug abuse was convicted on Monday of sexually assaulting eight women, including patients at his facility who he provided with drugs, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
A jury found Christopher Bathum, 56, guilty of charges including rape, sexual penetration by foreign object, forcible oral copulation and sexual exploitation, the DA’s office said in a news release.
During the trial, prosecutors argued Bathum preyed on women who were being treated at the rehab facility he owned and ran — Community Recovery of Los Angeles. Between 2014 and 2016, Bathum would give those women drugs as they were trying to beat their addictions, prosecutors said.
Then, while the women were drugged, he would sexually assault them, according to prosecutors. The women ranged in age from 20s to early 30s and many of the assaults were at treatment facilities run by Bathum.
Bathum also owned and operated other such facilities in Southern California and Colorado, although prosecutors did not give further information about those in a news release.
He was convicted of a total of 31 criminal counts and now faces a maximum sentence of 65 years in state prison and lifetime sex offender registration.
No further information was released by the DA’s office.
from KTLA http://ift.tt/2EWhvKJ
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