St. Louis-area doctor sentenced in sex abuse case

ST. CHARLES, Mo. – A former sports doctor accused of sexually abusing patients and billing insurance companies for their treatment has been sentenced to 30 days in jail.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that additional charges remain against Dr. Howard Orson Setzer, but that he was sentenced Monday as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors in St. Charles County.

He’d pleaded guilty in January to charges that included sodomy, attempted sodomy and insurance fraud. He was also sentenced to five years’ probation in the case.

Details about the sentence weren’t immediately clear Thursday. A message left at the prosecutor’s office wasn’t returned.

Setzer still has pending charges of sex abuse and assault in St. Louis County.

Charging documents allege Setzer removed female patients’ pants without warning and fondled them at his office in O’Fallon. The women were seeking treatment for back pain.

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Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com