A Washington state gynecologist has been charged with the repeated rape of a minor female family member, with prosecutors saying he did it over the course of more than six years.
Dr. Vulihn Ta, of MultiCare OB/GYN Associates in Takoma, was arrested on April 12 by the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office after the underage girl accused him of raping her more than 20 times, the Daily Mail reported.
While the specific relation to the alleged victim is unclear, 51-year-old Ta is a relative who allegedly began assaulting her in the family hot tub when she was 11 years old or younger.
Court documents cited by Fox 13 Seattle state that the sexual abuse started in 2017, with the most recent instance taking place just a few weeks ago in early April.
Ta allegedly began by following the girl from the bathroom after she had taken a shower, promising to buy her video games in exchange for her silence.
The victim provided authorities with a list of six video game receipts from 2022 — all with Ta’s billing address — claiming that those were the days she had been raped by him.
If she refused to comply, the girl said “he would just force me to and buy the items anyways,” the Kitsap Sun reported.
The abuse allegedly escalated when the family got a hot tub, with the victim telling police she was raped in it “a lot,” “more than 15 [times],” and more than 20 times since 2019.
Ta’s wife filed a protection order against him on April 15, then filed for divorce four days later.
The doctor has since been charged with rape of a child, commercial sexual abuse of a minor and third-degree rape, and remains in custody at the Kitsap County Jail after entering a not guilty plea.
MultiCare has placed Ta on leave pending an investigation.
“We take these allegations of criminal behavior by a provider very seriously and are conducting a thorough investigation,” said spokesman Scott Thompson.
Ta’s trial is “tentatively” set to begin on May 28, and faces up to life in prison and $80,000 in fines if convicted, according to the Daily Mail.
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