Indian-origin doctor jailed for secret bathroom recordings, faces sex offender registry

An Indian-origin doctor in Ohio's Toledo has been sentenced to six months in jail after he admitted that he secretly recorded women in employee restrooms at Toledo Hospital. Advait Deshmukh was sentenced in June after he pleaded guilty to one count of attempted tampering with evidence and sevn counts of voyeurism.Judge Michael Goulding ordered Deshmukh to serve three years of probation, register as a sex offender for 15 years, attend Sexaholics Anonymous meetings and continue sex offender and mental health treatment. The judge also told the court that Deshmul communicated to the court that he plans to relocate to a new county in Ohio -- Franklin -- but he will have to continue the measures there and register as a sex offender.Deshmukh apologizes to the victims during sentencingDeshmukh apologized to the victims before sentencing. His attorney asked the court to impose probation rather than jail time, arguing that Deshmukh was participating in therapy to better understand the behavior that led to the crimes.There were six known victims of Deshmukh's offence. One of them spoke at the court, describing how the incident traumatized her. Lindsay, a Toledo Hospital employee, told the judge she still checks bathrooms for hidden cameras and remains haunted by the uncertainty of where the images may have ended up. “Not knowing what was done with the photos is enough to keep me up at night,” she said. “As we all know, nothing is truly ever deleted.”She said the violation continued as investigators, attorneys and others involved in the case viewed those images and she did not even know how many others saw those images.A cellphone in a box found in the washroomThe case began, or at least came to light in June 2025. A hospital employee discovered a cellphone concealed inside a box in a unisex restroom in Toledo Hospital’s Renaissance Tower. Prosecutors said when a witness attempted to remove the device, Deshmukh grabbed it and claimed it belonged to him.A joint investigation by ProMedica and Toledo Police uncovered 82 images on the phone taken between February and May 2025. Investigators identified six victims, none of whom had given permission to be recorded, but said there could be more.At the time of the offences, Deshmukh was a third-year University of Toledo medical resident specializing in endourology and urologic oncology. The University of Toledo said he was placed on administrative leave after the device was discovered and that his residency appointment was not renewed following an internal investigation.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.