Western PA podiatrist and surgeon Dr. Matthew Sabo charged with sex crimes against patient

A western Pennsylvania podiatrist is charged with sexual extortion and indecent assault for allegedly having had inappropriate sexual contact with a longtime patient for years.

Dr. Matthew Sabo of Chicora lives in Butler County and has podiatry offices in Butler, among several other western Pennsylvania counties. He is one of a group of doctors with the Foot & Ankle Wellness Center of Western Pennsylvania. Its website says the center serves the Ford City, Butler, Monaca, Grove City and Moon Township areas.

Sabo’s Butler County podiatry office is one of the places where the state police allege the incidents happened as well as at Sabo’s Ford City office.

In the criminal complaint, state police said the patient told them that nearly 20 years ago, Sabo’s surgery saved her foot and leg after a car crash. But police write that she alleges that, beginning a few years ago, Sabo started touching her breasts and tightly hugging her during office visits. She told police he was her only doctor and her source of pain management medication.

Dr. Sabo used his position of authority and power to inappropriately grope a female patient for years during her routine visits,” said Attorney General Josh Shapiro on Tuesday.

“As Attorney General, I have a responsibility to stand up for people who need a voice in our Commonwealth, and my Office will seek justice for any victims who come forward.”

“Anyone who feels they may have been a victim of Dr. Matthew Sabo is encouraged to contact Trooper Michael Graham, Pennsylvania State Police, Troop D – Kittanning at 724-543-2011, ” the Attorney General’s office said in a news release.

Manly, Stewart & Finaldi is the nation’s leading firm representing victims of sexual abuse by doctors. We represent more than 100 victims of former Johnstown, Pa. pediatrician and convicted pedophile, Johnnie Barto.  We were the lead attorneys helping sexual abuse victims in recover $852 million from the University of Southern California for abuse by former campus gynecologist George Tyndall.  We also the lead attorneys representing Olympic athletes and victims of former US Olympic Women’s Gymnastics Team Doctor Larry Nassar and secured  $890 million in  settlements for our clients. We represented 150 women in the $243.6 Million settlement with UCLA in the case of former gynecologist/oncologist James Heaps. We represented 200 victims of University of Michigan sports doctor Robert Anderson and settled that case for $490 million. In each of these cases we have helped victims and families get justice by conducting a thorough investigation of the doctor and the institution that employed him. In many cases we have discovered that administrators and executives knew that the perpetrator was a danger and either did nothing or actively covered up the crimes.