A Newport Beach surgeon once accused of drugging and sexually assaulting a series of women recently had his medical license revoked, state records show, years after his headline-grabbing criminal proceedings concluded with him admitting to drastically pared-back charges.
Grant Robicheaux’s long-running criminal case ended in 2023 with the former orthopedic surgeon pleading guilty to relatively minor gun- and drug-possession charges — for an assault rifle and psychedelic mushrooms found in his home — after the far-more serious sexual-assault charges against Robicheaux and his girlfriend that drew international attention were dismissed.
Last month, the Medical Board of California formally revoked Robicheaux’s medical license, records show, following allegations that Robicheaux had violated the terms of an agreement that had allowed him to keep his license on a probationary status after the much-publicized end of the criminal case.
Robicheaux, who is in his mid-forties, opted not to have an attorney represent him during the medical board proceedings, state records show. An attorney who represented Robicheaux in his criminal case could not be reached for comment.
In 2018, Robicheaux — a hand surgeon who appeared on the Bravo television show “Online Dating Rituals of the American Male” — and his then-girlfriend, Cerissa Riley, were accused by then-District Attorney Tony Rackauckas of being a serial predator and rapist who picked young women up at Newport Beach night spots, drugged them, and then sexually assaulted them at Robicheaux’s Balboa Peninsula home. The couple later married.
The couples’ attorneys denied they were rapists or predators, contending that Robicheaux and Riley were “swingers” who took part in consensual sex and drug use. As a condition of his bail, Robicheaux was prohibited from practicing medicine, an order upheld at the time by the Medical Board of California.
The criminal case quickly became politically charged.
After unseating former Rackauckas, current District Attorney Todd Spitzer attempted to dismiss the charges and apologized to Robicheaux and Riley, accusing his predecessor of mishandling the case. That drew an immediate outcry from the accusers and their attorneys.
A judge ended up removing the District Attorney’s Office — finding that the case had been “infected” by politics — and the prosecution of the case was turned over to the state Attorney General’s Office.
At one point, the doctor and his girlfriend were accused of sexually assaulting seven women.
As the legal proceedings dragged on amid harsh political and media scrutiny, several alleged victims asked out of the case, telling the Attorney General’s Office they had been “grossly mistreated” and “dragged through the mud.”
Meanwhile, state prosecutors decided to drop charges related to some other victims, saying there wasn’t enough evidence to prove to a jury they had been sexually assaulted.
State prosecutors tried to move forward with charges against Robicheaux and Riley related to two alleged sexual assault accusers. But a judge gutted what was left of the case, finding their wasn’t enough evidence to support any of the remaining sexual-assault-related charges.
What had been a multiple-sexual assault case drawing international attention immediately turned into a drug and gun case.
The remaining charges against Riley were dismissed, leaving her exonerated.
Robicheaux pleaded guilty to felony gun possession and misdemeanor drug possession. He was sentenced to two years of formal probation, followed by one year of informal probation; and also to drug-education classes and community service. By following the terms of his probation, Robicheaux could reduce the felony conviction to a misdemeanor, and for both charges to be wiped from his record.
Robicheaux’s case no longer appears in public court records.
Robicheaux’s attorney told reporters, immediately following his sentencing, the outcome of the case as a “vindication,” but noted that Robicheaux’s medical career was effectively over.
The media coverage of the allegations — including countless articles and a popular podcast — remained publicly available.
According to state records, Robicheaux reached a settlement with the Medical Board of California in which the official revocation of his medical license was stayed and he was placed on probation. The agreement, records show, called for Robicheaux to abstain from controlled substances, to undergo an evaluation to determine if he had a substance-abuse problem, to submit to random drug testing, and to attend substance-abuse support meetings, among other requirements.
By the end of 2025, Robicheaux had allegedly begun missing the required meetings and failing to abide by the drug testing, and had started missing payments for the $30,000 he owed the Medical Board of California for the cost of its investigation and enforcement.
Robicheaux didn’t attempt to rebut the allegations that he had violated the terms of his medical board probation, records show.
His medical license was formally revoked on Aug. 17, Medical Board of California records show.
State medical board officials said there is a path for Robicheaux to get his medical license back, should he choose to take it.
The law allows Robicheaux to apply for reinstatement after at least five years from the effective date of the revocation order, officials said. That would require him to formally petition the medical board to reinstate the license. And it would require that he prove to the board that he had been rehabilitated and it was safe for his patients for him to practice.