Army OB-GYN pleads not guilty to all charges, including that he sexually abused patients

FORT HOOD, Texas — Army doctor Maj. Blaine McGraw pleaded not guilty Wednesday to all charges related to allegations that he sexually abused his patients and video recorded exams without patients’ consent.

Military Judge Col. Javier Rivera Rosario oversaw the 30-minute arraignment hearing at the Maj. Gen. Lawrence Williams Judicial Center. Members of the media were not allowed directly into the courtroom. Instead, a video feed was transmitted to a conference room miles across post.

McGraw deferred his decision on whether he would like to be tried by a jury or by judge alone. The judge has not yet scheduled future hearings or the trial, which Rivera Rosario said is expected to have a “voluminous” amount of evidence from both sides.

McGraw, 48, is accused of crimes against 93 women while serving as an OB-GYN at Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii and then at Fort Hood’s Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center. At the latter, a patient’s husband in October caught McGraw recording during a transvaginal ultrasound without consent. McGraw then agreed to have his phone searched, which uncovered evidence of sexual abuse against his patients.

He has been suspended from providing care since then and in December was placed in pretrial confinement at Bell County Jail near Fort Hood. His medical license is no longer active, according to online records.

His charging document spans 46 pages and outlines nine charges with 272 specifications of crimes alleged to have occurred between 2021 and 2026. That includes 91 specifications of abusive sexual contact and sexual assault, one specification of attempted sexual assault, one specification of attempted subornation of perjury, one specification of solicitation to commit perjury, 66 specifications of indecent recording, 91 specifications of assault consummated by a battery, 18 specifications of conduct unbecoming an officer, one specification of extramarital sexual misconduct, one specification of willfully disobeying a superior commissioned officer, and one specification of dereliction of duty.

Many of the sexual misconduct allegations against McGraw stem from breast exams that prosecutors argue were not medically necessary and performed for the doctor’s own gratification, according to evidence presented at a preliminary hearing in May.

“From the beginning, we have maintained that the procedures alleged in this case were medically appropriate,” Daniel Conway, one of McGraw’s attorneys, said in a statement.

Conway further said that 91 of the charges against McGraw are duplicated and described his client as “a dedicated infantry officer and physician who saved countless lives.”

“Indeed, this case is largely about when breast exams are medically appropriate. Investigators solicited and advertised searching for allegations that were previously unreported. The result was a narrative that was exaggerated and misrepresented both in the media and the charging documents,” said Conway, who did not attend Wednesday’s hearing.

Maj. ReAnne Wentz, another attorney for McGraw, sat alongside him during the arraignment and questioned Rivera Rosario about any potential influence or prior knowledge he had about McGraw’s case before assigning himself to oversee it. She also questioned any negative experiences he or his family members may have had with doctors, military or civilian.

“I saw the news many months ago — local news,” the judge said. “Frankly, I don’t remember the specifics of what I saw in that news report. I just remember in my mind that this could end up in front of court-martial, and I did everything I could do to [not see news of this case].”

Wentz decided not to challenge his assignment as judge.