The case of the death of newborn Boaz Yoder plunged detectives into the murky world of USCs ex-medical school dean, Carmen Puliafito. Now Greek couple win big . When detectives went to interview Yoder again, they found Puliafitos red BMW parked outside her apartment. . Former USC medical school Dean Carmen Puliafito, left, with Dora Yoder, her boyfriend and Sarah Warren in a Las Vegas hotel with drug paraphernalia scattered on a table. After Puliafito left the witness chair, Smith revealed the existence of the jail recordings that proved he was in close contact with Voigt and Franko and knew the female addicts. For Dr. Carmen Puliafito and a group of younger people he befriended, life was a photo-op.. Partying in Las Vegas or shopping at Target, pumping gas or playing cards, the dean of USC's medical . By the time he stepped down from running the Keck School of Medicine . Recently, the Los Angeles Times broke a story that Dr. Puliafito, former Dean of the Keck School of Medicine of USC, had been abusing drugs and keeping company with a group of younger individuals who engaged in drug use and illicit activity. Jon Hatami, shown in court in the Netflix series on Gabriel Fernandez, considered bringing an involuntary manslaughter case against Carmen Puliafito. She told The Times that Puliafito had a daily drug habit for most of the roughly 20 months they were together. Instead, it was a male caller who dialed 911 at 7:40 a.m. to report a baby who wasnt breathing. When Pringle wrote the first version of the Puliafito story, he had not been able to find the young woman who had overdosed at Hotel Constance. It would be hard to find a worse couple of years than 2016 and 2017 for two major Los Angeles institutions: the University of Southern California and The Times. Puliafito led the University of Miami's Bascom Palmer Eye Institute from 2001 to 2007. . Aug 31, 2017 at 8:45 pm. Among the images The Times reviewed was a video of Puliafito inhaling from a large methamphetamine pipe. Ed Buck, who was indicted last year in connection with the overdose deaths of two Black men in his West Hollywood apartment, now faces four additional charges. The secret double life of former USC dean Dr. Carmen Puliafito - a tale involving drugs, prostitution and alleged extortion - is detailed through photos and interview transcripts. In 2012, he was 21st of the highest-paid research university executives in the United States. Faculty and staff at the University of Southern California complained about Dr. Carmen Puliafito's worrisome behavior for years leading up to his public ousting amid accusations of illicit drug use and solicitation while dean of the Keck School of Medicine, according to an ongoing Los Angeles Times investigation.. Current and former university employees, as well as documented letters of . Geragos and a member of his firm who signed the November stipulation declined to answer questions about the settlement terms. Los Angeles Times co-owner Michele Soon-Shiong shakes hands with journalist Paul Pringle, right, after it was announced that Pringle and fellow reporters Matt Hamilton, left, and Harriet Ryan won the Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting. During its investigation of Puliafitos drug use, the Medical Board of California obtained a large number of the videos and photos. First, Duvoisin wanted to take off the label Times Investigation, because, according to the book, the term implied wrongdoing on the part of USC. Lucas, the head coroner, reiterated confidence in Szymanski in an email to The Times this month. No details of the agreement had been publicly disclosed until now. On a November day in 2017, USC entered into a secret mediation agreement with the family of a young woman whose drug-fueled relationship with the former dean of the universitys medical school had engulfed the institution in scandal. Tulare sheriff said a drug cartel, then backtracks, These are the 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles, California vs. Florida: A tale of two Americas, Prosecutors sought 33 years to life, but Mongols biker who killed cop may be freed by March, Disneyland cast members laughed before disabled woman was injured on ride, lawsuit alleges, Five ways you can use Shape Your L.A., The Times civic engagement tool, Plane crash near Modesto airport leaves one dead, Essay: Martin Luther King Day should make you uncomfortable. A newborn was found dead in this Altadena duplex, spurring a child death investigation by L.A. County sheriffs detectives. Her lawyer did not respond to a phone call or an email but told the Los Angeles Times that Flynn "has not committed any crime . These events happened years before President Folt arrived at USC; it would be inappropriate for her to comment, a spokeswoman for Folt said in an email. The USC Keck School of Medicine, left, and the former Los Angeles Times building in downtown. July 24, 2017. But several days before it was supposed to run, according to the book, Duvoisin emailed Pringle that Maharaj, the papers top editor, needed to think on it overnight and will meet with us in the morning., At the meeting, according to Bad City, Maharaj said, We are not going to publish this story., His reasoning, Pringle wrote, was that the paper could not prove conclusively that Nikias removed Puliafito because of the overdose. Family members received prewritten affidavits to sign containing explicit denials that Puliafito used drugs as well as denials that Yoder harmed the baby. But you have used with her, correct? Smith continued. In this 2003 photograph, Dr. Carmen Puliafito is shown second from the right. Pringle told him about the dean, the young woman, the overdose, USCs silence, the 911 recordings., Leonard agreed that the story was amazing and then asked a question that Bad City asserts would define the next several months of Pringles life. Thats when a young drug addict overdosed on crystal meth and GHB in a Pasadena hotel room while partying with Dr. Carmen Puliafito, dean of USCs Keck School of Medicine. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. They tapped Harriet Ryan, Adam Elmahrek, Matt Hamilton and Sarah Parvini, all of whom joined the effort, regardless of the potential risk to their careers. Must Reads: A USC doctor was accused of bad behavior with young women for years. Duvoisin is now editor-in-chief of the San Antonio Express-News. Absolutely, Puliafito says. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) The USC medical school dean is Dr. Carmen A. Puliafito, reports the Los Angeles Times, which broke the . The deal, which forbids the Warrens from ever publicly discussing it or their dealings with Puliafito and USC, was struck as the #MeToo movement took hold across the country and highlighted criticism of financial settlements that silenced victims of sexual abuse and harassment. It seemed to Yoders family that things were finally going well. I wasnt trying to publish something about a defense contractor skimming, he said in an interview. Dr. Carmen Puliafito, former dean of USC's medical school, took the stand in his own defense Thursday in a high-stakes hearing that will determine if he will lose his medical license. Still, she noted, no meth should be present in an infant.. PULIAFITO - Dominic F. January 10, 2010, age 87, of Williamsville, New York, beloved son of the late Carmelo and Salvatora (Trifilo) Puliafito; beloved husband of 61 years of Marie (Nigro); loving fat Pringle was assigned to check it out because of his earlier expos about USCs football program and the fact that he and a colleague were investigating the universitys athletic director at the time. That was like saying we couldnt publish a story on the occurrence of a crime without first solving it., And that, he wrote, made him realize what was happening: Nikias was essentially in charge of the story. Sarah Warren had told The Times that she witnessed Puliafito giving Yoder meth numerous times in 2015 and 2016, before Yoder was pregnant. . Although Bad City alleges it was not as strong as originally written, accolades and follow-up stories flowed. Then-USC Keck School of Medicine Dean Dr. Carmen A. Puliafito arrives at the Second-Annual Rebels With A Cause Gala at Paramount Studios on March 20, 2014, in Growing up in Buffalo, N.Y., he was editor of his high school newspaper and president of the . Yoder, who had long struggled with heroin addiction, subsequently assumed a more central role in his life. The dean of its medical school, Carmen Puliafito, resigned from leadership in 2016 after allegations about drug abuse surfaced, and he was fired from the school in 2017 when the LA Times published them. On Aug. 21, 2017, Justin Dearborn chief executive of the Times parent company, which at that point was called Tronc announced that Maharaj and Duvoisin had left the paper, along with several others. Khan filled him in about the overdose and the unconscious woman and the famous man and the official inaction. They called the Sheriffs Department, reiterated their concerns about Puliafito and encouraged investigators to look closer at Boazs death. UC Hastings law professor Richard Zitrin had helped draft legislation limiting the use of gag orders and other types of secrecy in legal settlements. Marcia Frellick. California law makes it a misdemeanor for someone to destroy or conceal such material with the intent to prevent it from being produced in evidence upon a trial, inquiry, or investigation, authorized by law.. Puliafito did NOT provide any methamphetamine to Dora Yoder nor was he using any, Reuben wrote. In "Bad City," Times investigative reporter Paul Pringle who led the paper's efforts to scrutinize Puliafito and USC dissects how the university and several of The Times' top editors, now no longer at the paper, allegedly fell from grace together. Three medical experts The Times consulted said they disagreed with aspects of her report, starting with the manner of death. Carmen A. Puliafito is an opthamologist and is the former Dean of the University of Southern California Medical School. Warren and Yoders boyfriend are also in the photos. Every time you would interview one person, they would mention another person in this little world, Davis said. By Davis estimation, the Yoder case took more detective work than 90% of his other investigations, including those that ended with convictions. Maharaj remains in Southern California, where he said he is involved in several journalism and literary projects. In 2017, the Los Angeles Times revealed that Puliafito had engaged in parties with young recreational drug users and prostitutes, including at the Keck School's offices, and that Puliafito had smoked methamphetamine at these events. A recent study of 27 retina practices including more than 300 retinal specialists in the United States found that more than half of all visits to retina practices (52%) were for macular degeneration or retinal vascular disease (A. Moshfeghi, MD). Video of Dr. Carmen Puliafito, then-dean of the Keck School of Medicine of USC, in September 2015. Nor had an editor ever required that I get clearance to do so. Puliafito, 66, resigned from his $1.1 million-a-year job at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine in March 2016 three weeks after Warren overdosed in his hotel room . The agreement was reached four months after a Times investigation disclosed Puliafitos relationship with Warren and a circle of other young addicts and criminals. That put a blinding spotlight on USC President Max Nikias. It also reflects the challenges of the modern media landscape and the intense discussions surrounding the medias traditional role of holding the powerful accountable. The report does not address why Yoder called him before summoning an ambulance, and she did not respond to messages seeking comment. Atty. The sources said the negotiations by lawyers for the Warrens, USC and Puliafito also took place around the time law enforcement was looking into Puliafitos drug use and whether he provided drugs to others. Our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct requires me to make this report.. The search for the truth plunged Dets. This was after [the attorney] had already signed off on it., Duvoisin defends all his editing decisions on the Puliafito story. The downside to secrecy is its effect on others, said Zitrin, who echoed Manlys point about the possibility of more victims coming forward. USC paid former Keck School of Medicine dean Carmen Puliafito over $1.8 million following his termination from the University, according to University tax filings disclosed this week. She previously worked at Court TV and the Asbury Park Press. Jon Hatami. [9] Three weeks later, on March 24, 2016, Puliafito resigned as dean of the Keck School of Medicine. Now, she's worried about getting sued. Puliafito spoke openly with the jailed men about illicit substances, associates who overdosed and young female addicts in their circle, a lawyer for the board told a judge at the hearing. That it might be wiser just to let the information speak for itself and not characterize it as an investigation.. Jackie Lacey, who was in office at the time, said in a recent interview that she was unaware of the settlement agreement and the wiping of the images and other material. It describes his year-long struggle to get the story published over the objections of his superiors at the Times, who did not want to offend USC. An autopsy of the infant by Deputy Medical Examiner Dr. Linda Szymanski found minor lung congestion, pinpoint hemorrhages on the heart and a healing burn on the left hand, but nothing definitive as to why he died. Atty. He claimed in his testimony that he was no longer in close touch with Yoder and had cut off contact with other members of his drug-using circle. Experts in civil and criminal law said it can be risky to destroy original videos, photos and other material amid an ongoing inquiry, depending on the intent of those signing the agreement. Warren got clean later that year and cut ties with Puliafito. Detectives went to Puliafitos home, but he declined to talk and referred them to a criminal defense attorney. The police officer who last year questioned the then-dean of USC's medical school about his role in the drug overdose of a young woman expressed skepticism at Dr. Carmen Puliafito's account . Dr. Carmen A. Puliafito is a Ophthalmologist in Miami, FL. He has not seen USCs settlement agreement with the Warren family nor does he have any knowledge regarding its specific contents, the attorney, Stacy Harrison, wrote. By the time Davis and Morse got to the duplex on Alameda Street, the paramedics had come and gone, and the coroners office was preparing to take Boazs body to the morgue for an autopsy. Editors are supposed to make certain that reporters knock on those doors if all other attempts to reach the subject failed., Duvoisin said he thought Pringles efforts to contact Nikias were a bit over the top and verging on harassment. But, he said, I did not try to prevent him., Pringle countered that characterization: It could not be more routine to knock on the door of the subject of a story when that person does not respond to phone calls, emails and other attempts to engage him., He said he would expect to be disciplined by an editor if I failed to do that on a story of such importance., When Pringle went to Nikias house, the university president wasnt there. The story was killed, according to the book. Puliafito left Yoders home before he called 911 to report the baby was not breathing., After being informed of what the prosecutor wrote, Puliafito told The Times in an interview that it was absolutely not true.. This California farm kingdom holds a key, Six people, including mother and baby, killed in Tulare County; drug cartel suspected, Im afraid for her life: Riverside CC womens coach harassed after Title IX suit, New Bay Area maps show hidden flood risk from sea level rise and groundwater, Who would execute a baby? A report, left, filled out by an investigator at the scene of Boaz Yoders death on Oct. 5, 2017, shows shading on a diagram of the infants body, which represents discolorations on the babys chest and face from, (Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner). The Times story on the management changes said the two men were fired in a dramatic shake-up. The company also terminated a deputy managing editor; an assistant managing editor; reporter Jill Leovy, who is Duvoisins wife; and Maharajs executive assistant. The story begins in Pasadena, on March 4, 2016, when Devon Khan, reservations supervisor at Hotel Constance, was summoned by a housekeeper to a room on the third floor. Thats a circumstance that calls for the greatest precision, care, evenhandedness, concern for accuracy, concern not to overreach.. She declined to discuss the images or the other evidence. Max Nikias, who was in office at the time and Amirs boss, knew nothing about the destruction of the images and other material, his attorney said in an email to The Times. Former Los Angeles County Dist. When she spoke with the coroners investigator at the scene, Yoder did not mention contacting a man in Pasadena for help, according to the investigators report. The stipulation for a settlement between USC and the Warrens was reached a few weeks after the district attorneys office issued an internal document assessing whether felony charges should be filed against Puliafito, including for allegedly providing drugs to Warrens younger brother, Charles, when he was a minor. The acknowledgement came in a late Friday letter to the campus community in response to concerns Dr. Carmen Puliafito, 66, was dean of the Keck School of Medicine for nearly a decade, even as he . It also was when two high-level editors then at The Times were accused of trying to stop the papers own reporting team from covering the USC scandal. In the morning both suspects discovered that the victim had died. The temperature outside had dipped to 55 degrees; she said the heater inside the apartment wasnt working, and it felt like the air conditioner was on instead, according to the investigators report. Although USCs flaws have been exposed, The Times largely have not. Your IP: In early 2017, she turned to him after discovering she was pregnant, and he paid for her detox program, according to medical board filings. Nikias was ousted as president of USC after the Tyndall scandal, although he remained a professor. At the time, Puliafito had a sterling reputation in ophthalmology and lived in a $5-million mansion with his wife of 38 years. photos and videos of the group doing drugs together, Investigators seek photos and videos of former USC medical school dean with drugs, The Times story on the management changes, Want to solve climate change? Carmen Anthony Puliafito (born 1951) was an American ophthalmologist and academic administrator. Her relatives were shocked by the childs death and then suspicious. For Dr. Carmen Puliafito and a group of younger . One of Yoders sisters later met with detectives. By Susan Svrluga. The team began in secrecy, they said, and neither of the top editors initially knew about it or sanctioned its operation. He was headed to Creative Care, one of many luxury . For nearly 30 years, the University of Southern Californias student health clinic had one full-time gynecologist: Dr. Atty. The Chronicle of Higher Education, which first reported the University payments, stated that USC paid Puliafito $850,000 in severance along with $624,000 in base . We were investigating a criminal case, and if there was evidence of said criminal activity we were investigating, I definitely would have been interested in seeing it.. Sarah Warren and her family left Southern California and moved to Texas. Ryan won the Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting with colleagues Matt Hamilton and Paul Pringle in 2019. But under their leadership, Pringle wrote, a balance of power that existed between USC and the Times for generations had been subverted so that it had become tilted in USCs favor.. While in the Navy, he was sent to the Defense Language Institute in Monterey to study Vietnamese, a . Headed to Creative Care, one of many luxury reached four months after a Times investigation disclosed Puliafitos with! 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