New York anesthesiologist with ‘chloroform fetish’ found guilty of drugging and assaulting nanny

A New York state anesthesiologist has pleaded guilty to drugging and sexually abusing his family’s nanny while she slept in his home, authorities said.

Paul Giacopelli, 60, pleaded guilty Wednesday before Putnam County Judge Anthony Molé after being indicted by a grand jury in March.

Giacopelli’s attorney, Steven Gaitman, said his client “has taken responsibility for his crimes and is now focused on taking care of his family.”

According to court documents, the victim worked as a caregiver for Giacopelli’s children at her home in the Putnam County town of Southeast and sometimes worked overnight shifts when Giacopelli was on call at a local hospital.

She told investigators that on four occasions in late 2023 she fell asleep, woke up with a rag over her face, smelled chemicals and passed out.

The woman installed a hidden camera to record her attacker on December 29, 2023. After feeling a cloth on her face and fainting, she woke up and saw the contents of the camera.

Videos recorded by the camera show Giacopelli assaulting the victim, prosecutors said.

The woman took the videos to law enforcement and Giacopelli was taken in for questioning by the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.

Keith Simone, a sheriff’s investigator, told the grand jury that Giacopelli confessed to filling a rag with sevoflurane, an anesthetic agent, and covering the woman’s mouth and nose to render her unconscious.

He confessed to sexually assaulting the woman after she passed out and said he had a “chloroform fetish,” Simone testified.

Giacopelli told investigators the victim was an easy target because he was a “deep sleeper,” Simone said.

Simone said Giacopelli admitted to bringing drugs home from the hospital. Fentanyl and other drugs were found in the home, Simone testified.

The state Board of Professional Medical Conduct banned Giacopelli from practicing medicine after his arrest.

He will be sentenced on November 20 and is expected to receive four years in state prison.