Anesthesiologist with ‘chloroform fetish’ admits to drugging and sexually assaulting his children’s nanny

An upstate New York anesthesiologist has confessed to drugging and sexually assaulting his family’s nanny while she slept on a couch in his home, authorities said.

Paul Giacopelli, 60, pleaded guilty Wednesday after being indicted by a grand jury in March.

He was arrested in December after the unnamed woman installed a surveillance camera behind the dehumidifier of a turtle tank in the living room where she slept. She had become suspicious after four occasions in late 2023 when she briefly woke up with a rag over her face before smelling chemicals that caused her to pass out, investigators said.

Giacopelli’s attorney, Steven Gaitman, said his client “accepted responsibility for his crimes and is now focused on providing for his family.”

The settlement marks a rapid fall from grace for a man who once worked as chief anesthetist at Putnam County Hospital. Since losing his credentials, he has also admitted to having a “chloroform fetish,” agents confirmed.

The former anesthesiologist confessed to drugging and sexually assaulting his family’s nanny while she slept on a couch in his home. His medical license has been revoked

“I am very proud of the work of the sheriff and Assistant District Attorney Melissa Lynch,” Putnam District Attorney Robert Tendy said in a press release announcing the defendant’s pleas.

‘[B]But I am especially proud of the victim’s courage in going through this process, which led to the arrest and conviction of the suspect.’

The requests related to two violent crimes, first-degree sexual abuse and second-degree assault, and as Tendy indicated, they came shortly after a thorough investigation.

According to court documents, the victim told investigators she was assigned to care for Giacopelli’s children at his home in southeastern Putnam County.

Sometimes, her employment conditions required her to work at night, she said, often when Giacopelli was on duty at the local hospital.

When she began to suspect that she was being put into a deeper sleep under the influence of drugs, placed a hidden camera on December 29, 2023, according to the charges against the suspect.

After feeling a cloth over her face again before passing out, she woke up the next morning and viewed the contents of the camera in the hopes of catching her attacker.

Prosecutors say video footage shows Giacopelli attacking the victim and officers arresting him within hours.

The settlement marks a rapid fall from grace for a man who once worked as chief anesthetist at Putnam County Hospital (pictured here)

Since losing his credentials, he also admitted to having a “chloroform fetish,” according to officers. After pleading guilty, he is expected to serve just four years in prison

The woman had shown the video clips to the police beforehand.

When Giacopelli was taken in for initial questioning, an investigator with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office told the grand jury that the doctor had confessed to filling a cloth with sevoflurane, an anesthetic, and covering the woman’s mouth and nose.

Giacopelli knocked her out and also told investigators the victim was an easy target because she was a “heavy sleeper,” lead investigator Keith Simone said.

Simone testified that Giacopelli also admitted to taking drugs from the hospital after dangerous substances like Fentanyl were found in the family’s $1 million, four-bedroom home.

The state’s Council for Professional Medical Conduct decided to ban Giacopelli from practicing medicine. This decision is upheld after he pleaded guilty.

The verdict clears the way for the former medical professional’s sentencing, which will be handed down on November 20, according to court documents.

After pleading guilty, he is expected to serve only four years in prison, prosecutors said.