A former Sinai-Grace nurse, already ordered to stand trial on charges of sexually assaulting patients, will face trial for four more charges.
Wilfredo Figueroa-Berrios, 47, of Wayne, is charged with sexually assaulting eight women in total and has been accused of assaulting more than a dozen additional women in lawsuits.
In the four cases sent to stand trial Friday in Detroit’s 36th District Court, Figueroa-Berrios is accused of sexually assaulting four women at Sinai-Grace Hospital over a 9-month period: a 22-year-old Detroit woman in December 2024; a 35-year-old Detroit woman in July; a 24-year-old woman of Detroit in July; and a 26-year-old Detroit woman in August.
With the most recent charges, Figueroa-Berrios is charged with two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, three counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct and four counts of sexual conduct where he misrepresented medical treatment.
He is due back in court Friday for an arraignment and pretrial hearing March 6.
“A doctor’s office, an exam room or any kind of hospital setting should be the ultimate safe space for people seeking medical care,” Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said at a press conference in January. “These cases are unacceptable examples of a betrayal of patient trust.”
A Sinai-Grace spokeswoman said the hospital prioritizes patient safety, has rigorous processes in place to screen applicants prior to employment and there was “no indication” of concern during that process for Figueroa-Berrios.
“We also have processes to identify and address patient safety issues and take appropriate action,” said Shelly Weiss Friedberg in a statement to The Detroit News in January. “Upon becoming aware of allegations against Mr. Berrios, Sinai-Grace proactively initiated contact with and notified law enforcement. The hospital also immediately suspended and ultimately terminated his employment. We do not condone any type of abuse and are cooperating fully with law enforcement. Federal privacy laws restrict us from sharing patient-specific information.”
Figueroa-Berrios was first ordered to stand trial in late October for allegedly assaulting two patients for whom he was supposed to be caring. At a preliminary exam, one woman testified that she was at Sinai-Grace after drinking too much and taking aspirin when a male nurse allegedly reached into her pants and sexually assaulted her.
Before he was bound over, Figueroa-Berrios’ attorney attacked the credibility of two of the women who testified, saying they were drunk and had a poor recollection of their time spent in the hospital aside from the alleged sexual assaults.
kberg@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Ex-Sinai-Grace nurse sent to trial for four more alleged sex assaults
Reporting by Kara Berg, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
