Ex-Ohio doctor sentenced for lying about sexually assaulting wife's friend
- - Ex-Ohio doctor sentenced for lying about sexually assaulting wife's friend
Kevin Grasha, Cincinnati Enquirer January 29, 2026 at 2:31 AM
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A former doctor who lied to investigators about sexually assaulting his wife’s best friend in 1989 in her Cincinnati home was sentenced Jan. 28 to 15 years in prison, the maximum possible.
In imposing the sentence in federal court in Dayton, U.S. District Judge Michael Newman referred to Frederick Tanzer as a "serial rapist," said his crimes were "unusually horrendous" and had caused "long-lasting pain, both physical and emotional," to the victims.
Tanzer, 67, could not be charged with rape, prosecutors said, because the statute of limitations that was in place at the time expired in the mid-1990s.
So Tanzer instead was charged with multiple counts of making false statements to federal agents in 2024 when they questioned him about the attack. He lied when he denied having seen or interacted with the woman that day.
But Tanzer’s DNA – taken from a Starbucks coffee cup that he had thrown in the trash – matched DNA found at the woman’s home in 1989.
He pleaded guilty last year to three counts of lying to federal agents, and each count was punishable by up to five years in prison.
Newman announced the prison term on the second day of a sentencing that began Jan. 12 and included an emotional and detailed statement from the woman Tanzer attacked.
Tanzer practiced medicine for 3 decades
Tanzer, who according to court documents obtained his medical license two months before the 1989 attack, went on to practice medicine for the next three decades in multiple states, including Ohio, Colorado, Kansas and Arizona.
He wasn't considered a suspect until 2024. He was arrested in December of that year at his Sycamore Township home.
Tanzer's license to practice internal medicine in Ohio was permanently revoked in March 2025. And as part of his plea agreement, he allowed his medical licenses in other states to expire.
Both Tanzer's now-ex-wife, who is the 1989 victim's best friend, and his current wife have accused him of drugging them before having sex with them. Although Tanzer has not been charged in connection with those allegations, Newman said he considered them in imposing the sentence.
After the sentence was formally imposed, Tanzer told Newman he wanted to say something but his attorney advised him not to speak. His attorney, Christopher Bucio, said Tanzer will appeal the sentence, which also includes a $250,000 fine.
Newman said that in the years before Tanzer's arrest, he was making $400,000 a year.
Attacker wore mask, full-body spandex suit
The first attack investigators connected to Tanzer was the one in 1989.
The woman, who was 29 at the time, was attacked in her Columbia Tusculum home by a man wearing a black, full-body spandex suit, black gloves and a mask that covered his face.
The only thing he said was, “Shh,” before putting a knife to her throat. He sexually assaulted her over five and a half hours.
Had Tanzer spoken, she would have recognized him.
In court on Jan. 12, the woman, now 66, described existing in a chronic state of anxiety. She said she has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic insomnia, night terrors and panic attacks. She has been in therapy for decades.
“I have felt imprisoned most of my adult life," she said.
In a statement released after the sentence was imposed, U.S. Attorney Dominick Gerace II said Tanzer "poses a grave risk to the public and deserves to be in prison not only for his lies, but also for the despicable attack he was trying to cover up.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ex-Ohio doctor Frederick Tanzer sentenced for lying about assault
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