Ex-Bermuda leader's son convicted in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES – The physician son of Bermuda's former premier was convicted Monday of fondling female patients — including a 15-year-old girl and an undercover police officer — during inappropriate breast and pelvic exams.

Kevin Antario Brown, 40, stared forward and shook his head as he was found guilty on 21 counts of sexual battery by fraud, sexual exploitation by a physician, sexual penetration by a foreign object and committing a lewd act.

The jury deadlocked on eight other charges against Brown, who was known for his charity work and whose Urban Health Institute benefited from a celebrity poker tournament at the Playboy Mansion in 2008.

Brown, whose father Ewart Brown stepped down as Bermuda's premier last year, was denied bail and was handcuffed and immediately taken into custody pending sentencing. Deputy District Attorney Ann-Marie Wise estimated Brown could get a maximum term of 16 years and 10 months in state prison.

"I am extremely pleased with this verdict, and the women who came forward were very brave," said Wise, who had noted during the trial that Brown had been acquitted in 2004 and 2006 of similar charges.

Brown's lawyer Edi Faal said he planned to seek a retrial based on claims that testimony by witnesses lacked credibility.

"My client never expected that he would be found guilty of any count," Faal said after sentencing. "We believe there is a credibility issue with every one of them."

Prosecutors said Brown attacked 11 patients over five years at three of his clinics, and the women were given inappropriate breast or pelvic exams for unrelated complaints such as lightheadedness or flulike symptoms.

The jury deadlocked on all counts involving two of the women and two counts involving another woman. One of the deadlocked cases involved a woman who died after the preliminary hearing in the case. Her testimony from that proceeding was read into the trial. Several other counts were dismissed during trial.

Friends and family of Brown said they had been blindsided by the charges, pointing to his reputation and his charitable work with Hurricane Katrina evacuees and with victims of the 2004 Asian tsunami as testaments to his character.

In the trial's closing arguments, the prosecution cited the testimony of one victim who came in to be evaluated for weight loss treatment and said she had her breasts fondled after being told she needed a mammogram.

Another victim came in to discuss a lump on her breast only to have Brown put his face on her chest and his mouth on her breast as part of the supposed examination, the prosecutor said.

The defense challenged the credibility of the patients and called the undercover officer a liar.

The defense pointed to one patient who claimed she was molested when she came to Brown with concerns that she suffered from anemia because of lightheadedness, but later went back to an appointment with Brown and agreed to distribute flyers advertising his business at her college.