CHULA VISTA, Calif. — California’s medical board has accused a psychiatrist of having sex with a patient in his office and giving the woman money while she was in his care.
Dr. Ankur Bindal, owner of KMG Psychiatry, engaged in sexual intercourse with the patient on multiple occasions during her clinical visits, according to a newly filed medical board accusation.
The alleged inappropriate contact began at the patient's first appointment in 2020, when Bindal asked to run his fingers through her hair, the accusation claims.
The medical board alleges Bindal kissed his patient in his office and told her to "keep it low."
It’s not clear how the medical board found out about Bindal’s alleged misconduct, but the regulator claims he instructed his patient to write an email stating she was "sorry that she had crossed a line" with him during the appointment, the board alleges.
Female staff alleged they were harassed
The psychiatrist, who treated the woman for depression and anxiety until February last year, is also accused of drafting a false statement on his patient’s behalf and telling her to say "as little as possible" to a state investigator.
The medical board alleges Bindal engaged in sexual exploitation, sexual misconduct, gross negligence, repeated negligent acts, dishonest or corrupt acts, failure to maintain adequate and accurate records and unprofessional conduct.
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It also accuses him of sexually harassing three female employees at KMG Psychiatry.
One woman said after she complained to office management, her hours were cut and a manager told her she was lucky to still have a job because Bindal wanted her fired, the accusation alleges.
Bindal sent Team 10 a statement in response to the allegations.
Doctor responds to allegations
"As you can imagine, it's extremely disheartening, emotionally & ethically, for me and my family to hear of this accusation," he wrote in an email.
"It's not in my character, and I need some healing space as we learn of details of the case, present our evidence, and defend this."
Bindal joins a growing list of doctors who’ve been accused of having sex with their patients.
A Team 10 investigation earlier this year found the medical board has allowed several doctors who committed sexual misconduct to keep practicing despite a state law that was supposed to prevent that from happening.
Assembly Bill 1636 took effect in January 2023 and was designed to bar doctors from practicing if they had been disciplined for sexual misconduct.
In recent months, Team 10 has reported on several doctors who were reprimanded for sexual misconduct but remain on the job with their medical licenses.
“They're still trying to keep them in practice as long as they can unless it's a case that's so egregious that they have to seek out a suspension until the process takes part,” said patient safety advocate Marian Hollingsworth.
She’s calling on lawmakers and the medical board to crack down on doctors who cross the line with their patients, calling it a big problem.
“I think it’s one of the unspoken problems that people are afraid to talk about. It’s kind of embarrassing because you have a doctor who has this white coat and is so respected. How could this doctor possibly do this?”
Medical board spokesperson Alexandria Schembra said it’s too soon to know whether AB 1636 will be relevant in the Bindal matter.
The physician still has the right to contest the allegations before an administrative law judge at a hearing.
Schembra said AB 1636 was written in a very specific manner and only changed the law in three ways:
- Authorizes denial of an application for a medical license from someone who has been disciplined by another medical board for sexual misconduct with a patient.
- Requires revocation of the license by the board for certain sexual criminal convictions.
- Prohibits reinstatement of a medical license that was revoked because the person committed an act of sexual misconduct with a patient or due to certain criminal convictions.
That information contradicts what State Senator Akilah Weber Pierson, who co-authored the law, told Team 10.
The senator said when she designed the legislation, it was meant to permanently ban doctors from regaining their licenses if they’ve been disciplined for sexual misconduct, no matter how long ago.
“Once they try to come back up for renewal of their license, that will be flagged, and they will not be able to get renewal of their medical license to continue to practice here in California,” she said earlier this year.
Investigative Reporter Austin Grabish covers the Medical Board of California, military investigations and the U.S. Mexico border. If you have a story to share, email austin.grabish@10news.com
