Former Norwell pediatrician indicted on new charges accusing him of raping patients

A former pediatrician from Norwell, Massachusetts, has been indicted on charges of raping children who saw him as patients.

The Plymouth County District Attorney's Office said Friday that 68-year-old Richard Kauff had been indicted on nine counts of rape of a child with force and eight counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14.

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Prosecutors say Kauff retired in 2022 after nearly 40 years of work as a pediatrician, most recently at South Shore Medical Center in Norwell, where he lives. He also saw patients at the South Shore Medical office in Kingston.

An investigation began last year after an anonymous person posted on a Facebook group that they believed they had been sexually assaulted during a checkup. Others advised that person to tell the Norwell Police Department, prosecutors said.

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Two victims reported incidents to police in Norwell, who sought charges against Kauff. Subsequently, "over three dozen individuals came forward to report similar experiences with Kauff," according to the district attorney's office.

A grand jury indicted Kauff on charges involving 15 different victims over 23 years, prosecutors said, adding that he would be arraigned at a superior court at an unspecified date.

Kauff has been released on $50,000 cash bail with conditions that he have no contact with the victims and stay away from the Norwell and Kingston facilities of South Shore Medical Center. He may also have no unsupervised contact with children under 16 or leave Massachusetts, and he must surrender his passport and medical license.