Michigan physician charged with multiple sex crimes after thousands of videos show him targeting children, adults
(CBS DETROIT) - Officials in Oakland County announced that a Rochester Hills physician has been charged in connection to several sex crimes against adults and children that happened at his residence, places of employment and a Metro Detroit swim club.
Oumair Aejaz, 40, of Rochester Hills, has been charged with one count of child sexually abusive activity, four counts of capturing an image of an unclothed person, five counts of child sexually abusive activity and five counts of using a computer to commit a crime.
Aejaz, who is married and the father of two young children, allegedly placed hidden cameras in changing rooms, video recording children as young as 2 years old, up to grown adults.
According to Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard, the crimes range from videos of a toddler undressing in a swim club changing room to a woman unconscious in a hospital bed being violated by Aejaz.
Aejaz is an Indian citizen and has been working in the U.S. on a visa since 2011. He moved to Michigan in 2011, completed his residency at Sinai Grace and then moved to Alabama in 2018, before returning to Oakland County. Bouchard said because of this, the investigation will potentially stretch across other states and countries.
Officials say the crimes occurred in Rochester and Rochester Hills while Aejaz was off-duty. Bouchard said cameras were placed in changing rooms, bathrooms, hospital rooms, inside closets, bedrooms and bathrooms inside residences he had access to, including the Goldfish Swim Club in Rochester.
The victims include a 2-year-old, a 4-year-old and two women. Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said the charge of criminal sexual activity is related to an underaged victim who is not named. She said they don't know the identity of the victim, but said the video is pornographic in nature and the charge relates to the possession of that.
Bouchard says Aejaz's criminal activity goes back at least six years.
Officials say Aejaz worked as a contracted physician and spent time at Ascension Genesys Hospital in Grand Blanc and Henry Ford Macomb Hospital in Clinton Township, but investigators are still working to determine other locations where he worked. While Aejaz had privileges at Ascension Genesys and Henry Ford Macomb, he was not on staff at either hospital.
Aejaz was arrested on Aug. 8 by Oakland County detectives who were serving a search warrant after his wife provided materials that were concerning to the sheriff's office. He is lodged in the Oakland County Jail on a $2 million bond.
Authorities have obtained six computers, four cellphones and 15 external storage devices. One hard drive had 13,000 videos on it. Detectives will go through everything on these devices, along with investigating potential cloud storage. It could take up to six months for detectives to complete a forensic exam of the confiscated materials.
"This individual potentially is one of the worst that I've ever seen, because there's no particular category," Bouchard said. It's not just children; it's not just women. It's not just men. It goes from a 2-year-old to a grown woman. The victimization is so broad and the perversion is so great that we're just beginning to wrap our arms around it."
Investigators haven't determined if these videos have been distributed.
Bouchard said this case has the potential to be bigger than the Larry Nassar case due to Aejaz's victimization pool.
When asked what people can do to prevent something like this from happening to them, Bouchard said people should be aware when in public places like a changing room and if possible have someone with them while undergoing medical procedures.
The Oakland County Sheriff's Office says individuals who believe they were victims of this physician should contact investigators at OCSOSIU@oakgov.com.
The Goldfish Swim School released the following statement regarding the case:
"Our entire team was shocked, angered and saddened to recently learn of the criminal activity of former member Oumair Aejaz within our school, along with many other locations in the greater community. To think that anyone would violate the privacy and trust of others, particularly vulnerable children, is inconceivable.
While Aejaz has not been in our facility for months, we will do everything in our power to continue to cooperate with law enforcement as they, along with other public safety partners, hold him fully accountable for his actions.
The safety of our students, families and team members are our top priority - this is not negotiable. We will continue to work with those affected to provide them the support needed during this time.
If you, or anyone you know, has any information about Mr. Aejaz and any peculiar behavior, please reach out to the Oakland County Sheriff's Department at ocsosiu@oakgov.com. As this is an ongoing criminal investigation, we cannot elaborate further, in order to preserve the integrity of the investigation."