Dr. Sean S. Steele was able to practice medicine in both California and Nevada until last year.
That’s when the California Medical Board revoked his license, based on evidence and testimony from a woman who said he sexually assaulted her in the back of a Mercedes during an evening of drinking in Las Vegas.
According to the official decision, the California Medical Board concluded that Steele had “brutally sexually attacked” the woman and then lied about it under oath. The board called his behavior “unbecoming to a member in good standing of the medical profession, and which demonstrates an unfitness to practice medicine.”
The board revoked Steele’s license, effective April 17, 2012.
In Nevada, however, Steele, an internist, is still licensed and has privileges at University Medical Center, MountainView Hospital, Valley Hospital Medical Center, Summerlin Hospital Medical Center and Centennial Hills Hospital Medical Center, according to the hospitals.
The Clark County District Attorney's office had charged him with felonies, including sexual assault — and then accepted Steele’s no contest plea to a lesser charge of misdemeanor battery.
Later, the Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners issued a “non-public action,” a sanction so negligible that it is not disclosed. A search of the board’s website shows no sanction against Steele.
In other words, there is no public disclosure by the Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners of an incident involving a doctor that was deemed so serious by California authorities that the doctor was prohibited from seeing patients there.
The case raises questions about how closely Nevada monitors its medical professionals. Legislators, members of the Nevada medical community and others have long criticized the Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners’ ability to effectively regulate, investigate and sanction doctors.
Through her attorney, Robert Murdock, the woman declined to comment. The Las Vegas Sun does not name the victims of sexual assaults.
A request to interview Steele was sent by email to his attorney, Russell Iungerich. The attorney did not respond to that request.
Steele is appealing the decision of the California Medical Board on the grounds that his due process rights were violated because Iungerich was ill on the day of the woman’s testimony and therefore she was not cross-examined.
In its ruling, the California Medical Board concluded, “(The victim) is telling the truth and (Steele) lied to the Medical Board investigators, lied in the civil suit and lied under oath in the present proceedings.”
