Acting U.S. Attorney Bridget M. Brennan announced that Manish Raj Gupta, 50, of Sylvania, Ohio, was sentenced today by Judge James G. Carr to more than 19 years in prison after Gupta, a former Toledo-area physician, pleaded guilty to sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and illegally dispensing a controlled substance. Gupta was sentenced to 235 months and ordered to pay a fine of $250,000 and over $57,000 in restitution.
“Mr. Gupta meticulously planned his attacks, including which controlled substances to pull from his medical office so that he could incapacitate vulnerable women and record his sexual assaults,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Bridget M. Brennan. “The brave women who spoke out, along with the dedicated work of the FBI and prosecutors assigned to this case, ensured that Mr. Gupta was brought to justice and will no longer be a threat to women.’
“The FBI is pleased with the lengthy sentence given today to Manish Gupta for his heinous criminal behavior,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Eric B. Smith. “He took advantage of these females and turned them into victims of sexual abuse. Gupta’s incarceration may pave the way for other victims to come forward. The FBI encourages anyone that was sexually victimized by Manish Gupta to please contact the FBI at 1-877-FBI-OHIO.”
As set out in court documents, Gupta was a plastic surgeon and business owner of three surgery centers located in the city of Toledo, the city of Oregon and the Southern Michigan area. As a licensed doctor, Gupta was authorized to prescribe controlled substances within the course of his medical practice and for legitimate purposes.
According to court documents, Gupta traveled to medical conferences in large urban areas, including Chicago in March and April of 2013, Cleveland in April of 2013, Miami/Ft. Lauderdale in June of 2015 and July 2019, Los Angeles in September of 2016 and various other dates in San Francisco and Detroit.
Gupta would often stay at a centrally located hotel in these cities, hire escorts in the area and administer incapacitating drugs in order to commit sexual acts of violence without consent.
Gupta often recorded these assaults and, prior to his travel, would ship a bag described in court documents as a “rape bag,” containing drugs and recording equipment, to the hotel where he was staying.
In August of 2016, court documents state that Gupta began corresponding online with Victim #1, an individual he intended to hire for sexual activity prior to planned travel to Los Angeles. On September 23, 2016, Gupta met with the victim at the hotel where he was staying, administered an incapacitating controlled substance, performed sexual acts of violence and recorded the assault.
On March 6, 2020, FBI agents executed a federal search warrant at one of Gupta’s plastic surgery centers in Toledo. During the search, agents obtained numerous items, including controlled substances, sedatives, recording equipment and video recording memory cards, one of which contained a recording of Gupta committing sexual assault. Agents later discovered 61 different videos of Gupta committing sex acts of violence on at least 20 different unconscious women, including Victim #1.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Toledo Resident Agency. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Tracey Ballard Tangeman and Carol M. Skutnik.