INAPPROPRIATE Alireza Sadeghi, MD, allegedly shared the inappropriate images with nurses and his girlfriend.

A New Orleans plastic surgeon used his cellphone to record videos and snap pictures of nude and unconscious patients in the OR. He then texted the images to nurses and to his girlfriend, a medical device sales rep. His actions were inappropriate, but apparently not illegal. Yesterday, a jury acquitted Alireza Sadeghi, MD, of video voyeurism charges. If convicted, Dr. Sadeghi faced jail time and would have had to register as a sex offender.

The 4 female victims who testified during the trial expressed shock, grief and anger over being the subjects of Dr. Sadeghi's sophomoric behavior, according to published reports. They cringed in the courtroom while defense attorneys played one of the videos and showed several of the pictures in an apparent attempt to undercut the prosecution's presentation of the evidence.

One video featured a nurse dancing next to the completely nude body of a 35-year-old woman as Chris Brown music played over the OR's sound system. Dr. Sadeghi apparently texted the video to his girlfriend, Stephanie Robbins, with the caption, "This is how we do surgery."

The defense also presented 2 photos to the jury. One showed a nurse clenching a surgical instrument in her masked mouth as she leaned over the bare legs of a woman who was about to undergo breast reconstruction after a double mastectomy. The second image showed several members of the surgical team making obscene gestures toward the camera as they stood around a woman who was exposed from her breasts to her genitals.

During the trial's opening statements, District Attorney Laura Rodrigue said the women were vulnerable in a place "with a heightened sense of privacy." Ms. Rodrigue could not be reached for comment after the verdict was announced.

The defense team acknowledged that Dr. Sadeghi is embarrassed by his actions and regrets his lapse of judgment. However, his attorneys argued his bad behavior did not meet the legal definition of video voyeurism, which requires offending parties to capture images with a lewd or lascivious purpose. Two surgical techs who testified on Dr. Sadeghi's behalf said they regretted posing in the pictures, but said there was nothing sexual about their actions.

Michael Magner, Dr. Sadeghi's attorney, is pleased with the jury's verdict and says there was no evidence of criminal intent. "It was an unfortunate situation," he says. "Dr. Sadeghi meant no disrespect to the patients and is relieved to have the case behind him."

Authorities discovered the disturbing images while investigating charges levied against Dr. Sadeghi by his ex-wife, who accuses him of rape and secretly recording her with his cellphone. Dr. Sadeghi will face those charges during a trial scheduled to begin June 5.

Daniel Cook