Michigan youth hockey doctor, mohel accused of widespread sexual assault
Police say they have received 33 additional complaints against Zvi Levran since his October arrest after being accused of molesting teen at his home office
FARMINGTON HILLS, Michigan — A doctor who police say has spent two decades providing medical assistance to youth hockey teams in Michigan and Minnesota faces over a dozen charges of criminal sexual conduct after being accused by patients across Michigan, authorities said Wednesday.
Urologist Dr. Zvi Levran was initially charged last month after a 19-year-old man told authorities he was sexually assaulted during an October 18 examination in Levran’s home office, northwest of Detroit.
He was arraigned in that case on seven criminal sexual conduct charges, ordered not to leave Michigan and told to have no contact with minors or hockey players.
He was arrested again on November 10 and arraigned the next day on 10 additional criminal sexual conduct charges involving several patients, according to police in Farmington Hills, Michigan. He has been in custody since.
Farmington Hills Police Chief Jeff King said his department received 33 additional tips about Levran following the initial October arrest, and the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office authorized the 10 additional charges in those cases.
The tips about the doctor came from local communities including Novi, Livonia, West Bloomfield and Redford, King said. Tips also have come from California, Georgia, North Carolina, Minnesota, Arizona and Canada.
The patients told police that their examinations were in some way connected to youth hockey organizations. Police have released no information about the ages or genders of Levran’s accusers, nor when the alleged assaults took place.
Levran was ordered held on a $1 million bond. He also was ordered to surrender his passports, treat no patients at his home and have no unsupervised contact with patients.
Levran’s attorney, Joe Lavigne, has entered not guilty pleas on his client’s behalf.
“We’re looking forward to defending the charges,” he said.
In addition to his work as a urologist, Levran also worked in the Jewish community as a mohel, performing religious circumcision rites, according to a bio he posted on his personal webpage.
Investigators say they are concerned there could be other victims who have not yet come forward.
The role of sports doctors and their interactions with athletes have come under scrutiny in recent years.
Former Michigan State University sports doctor Larry Nassar was sentenced in 2018 to 40 to 175 years in prison after admitting to molesting some of the nation’s top gymnasts for years under the guise of medical treatment. He was accused of sexually assaulting hundreds of women and girls.
Former University of Michigan athletes, students and others have said they were molested by University of Michigan sports doctor Robert Anderson. Anderson was director of the campus health service and a physician for multiple sports teams, including football. He died in 2008 after working at the university for nearly 40 years.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
