Army Gynecologist Accused Of Secretly Recording Dozens Of Patients During Examinations

An Army gynecologist at Fort Hood in Texas has been charged with secretly recording dozens of patients during medical exams.

Maj. Blaine McGraw, 47, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center, is accused of recording more than 40 patients without their knowledge.

Military prosecutors said the recordings were made during routine medical appointments.

The Army’s Office of Special Trial Counsel said McGraw has been charged with 54 counts of indecent visual recording.

He also faces five counts of conduct unbecoming of an officer, one count of willfully disobeying a superior officer, and one count of making a false official statement.

The alleged misconduct took place while McGraw was assigned to the Fort Hood medical center, which serves active-duty service members and their families.

Authorities said one incident had taken place at a private residence.

The charges come after Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center leadership suspended McGraw on October 17 following a patient's allegation of misconduct.

Within hours, the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) initiated a formal investigation. McGraw was then removed from all patient care duties, and his access to electronic records was revoked.

The criminal investigation remains ongoing.

In a press release in October, Fort Hood said officials were contacting all patients McGraw had seen during his tenure, while those thought to be affected were contacted by the CID.

In a further statement on December 4, Fort Hood confirmed that McGraw had been ordered into pretrial confinement days prior and was being held at Bell County Jail, Texas, after apparently violating conditions of liberty imposed by his commander.

McGraw, who previously worked at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu from June 2019 to June 2023, is also facing a lawsuit.

As reported by CNN, an additional 88 women joined a lawsuit against McGraw after charges were officially filed against him this week.

They say they were “subjected to invasive, unnecessary, and degrading touching, voyeurism, and covert filming” during medical exams.

The lawsuit was filed by National Trial Law in November on behalf of victims who said they had previously reported McGraw’s inappropriate behavior to the Army.

They claim that nothing was done, and he was allowed to continue treating patients.

As per the lawsuit, the alleged misconduct extends beyond unauthorized recordings to include improper touching of patients' breasts and genitalia in a non-medical manner.

Victims also allege that McGraw recommended unnecessary breast examinations solely to expose and grope patients, as well as conducting examinations without required nursing staff present, in violation of Army medical protocols.

One harrowing account detailed in Wednesday’s expanded lawsuit, reported by CNN, alleges that McGraw took images of an active-duty soldier during a rape kit examination.

“During that deeply vulnerable procedure, he was constantly on his phone while between her legs,” the lawsuit said, according to CNN.

It further claimed that he “failed to document in her medical records that a rape kit had ever been performed,” meaning that prosecutors trying her alleged rapist “lacked clear forensic documentation, and her assailant was ultimately acquitted.”

“McGraw’s misconduct in this setting did not merely fail to protect a victim of sexual violence; it actively undermined her access to justice and allowed her perpetrator to escape accountability,” the lawsuit added.

National Trial Law said it intends to hold McGraw and the U.S. government “accountable for systemic failures that allowed this abuse to continue despite warnings.”

“These victims trusted the Army to provide world-class medical care in their most vulnerable moments, and instead, systemic failures allowed a predator to operate unchecked despite warnings," said Jamal Alsaffar, Partner at National Trial Law.

“Many of our clients reported this doctor’s inappropriate behavior to the Army, yet nothing was done. He was allowed to continue treating patients, violating more women with each passing day. This is an unconscionable betrayal of trust.”

While the Army has insisted that the allegations are being taken seriously, questions have continued to grow over how it handled previous reports.

They demand an investigation into whether complaints were dismissed or ignored, and if appropriate Military Health System policies were followed.

“We are committed to demanding justice for victims of sexual assault and harassment, and we will not stay silent while the safety of women is at risk. Again, we request prompt and thorough answers to these questions to prevent further harm and hold those responsible for this accountable,” the letter said.