Patient Allegedly Raped At Boca Raton Regional Hospital, EMT’s License Ordered Revoked

…But EMT’s License Still Valid According To Florida Department of Health.

CLAIM: Patient Asked For Blanket. Had Clothes Ripped Off.

BY: ANDREW COLTON | Editor and Publisher

UPDATED: 9:29 a.m. Tuesday with new information from Boca Raton Police stating that detectives did file an arrest warrant but the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office declined to prosecute and cleared the case.

BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2024 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — An emergency medical technician employed at Boca Raton Regional Hospital is accused of raping a patient in a hospital room. The alleged rape occurred in October of 2020. A Florida Administrative Judge — after hearing evidence — ruled earlier this year that that the EMT’s license should be revoked. But the Florida Department of Health reports that the EMT’s license is still valid. It is unclear why.

A copy of the Administrative Law Judge’s report was just provided to BocaNewsNow.com. In it, Judge Robert S. Cohen of the “Division of Administrative Hearings” ruled that Devon F. Briganti’s license should be revoked. He is accused by a Boca Raton Regional Hospital patient of raping her, in her hospital room, in 2020. According to the testimony provided by her and alleged witnesses, the victim, identified as “TD” requested a blanket from staff. Briganti, the “respondent” brought it to her room.

From the report obtained by BocaNewsNow.com: “At some point (Briganti, the “respondent”) closed the curtain around the bed. Respondent told her he was “turned on” and then he exposed his penis to her. Respondent asked T. D. to put his erect penis in her mouth, which she did not do, and then Respondent placed his penis in T. D.’s mouth for a few seconds. Respondent next turned T. D. on her side so that her back was facing him. Respondent then lifted the blanket off T. D. and “he pulled my leggings down just right underneath my butt.” He then inserted his penis into her vagina and “had sex with her” briefly until he ejaculated “all over my leggings and me” and then he left the room. She estimated the sex part only took one or two minutes. After Respondent left the room, TD pulled her leggings back up. Then another male nurse came into the room. He asked why all the wires around her were tangled up and he untangled them for her. She did not report to that nurse what had happened because she was scared. T. D. slept off and on for some time and remembers Respondent coming back into her room at some point, then recalls a female nurse coming in to say she was being discharged. She told the nurse she was not feeling okay to go yet, and the nurse said she could have ten more minutes before they needed to discharge her.”

Administrative Law Judge Robert S. Cohen, according to the report provided to BocaNewsNow.com, heard several days of testimony. He learned that the Boca Raton Police Department investigated the claim (and according to Boca PD requested a warrant but the State Attorney’s Office declined to charge) the EMT. He also was told that the victim was so psychologically scarred by the incident that she could not talk about it in a court setting. However, the victim was deposed. Based on the deposition and testimony from several alleged witnesses, He issued this statement and ruling:

“(The victim’s) deposition is corroborated by so much other competent evidence, including the testimony of the nurse who performed the rape kit examination, the detective who investigated the matter with T.D.’s assistance, and the forensics expert who made a positive DNA match from Respondent ot T.D.’s person. There is no doubt in the undersigned’s mind that Respondent committed a sexual crime against T.D., regardless of whether he was prosecuted for it. The undersigned further finds that Respondent’s claim that the sexual act was consensual is nonsensical. T.D. was a patient of BRRH Respondent was attending to, and she was impaired by alcohol and prescription medications ot the point where ti is highly unlikely she could have consented to sex had it occurred even outside the hospital where Respondent was employed. (Briganti’s) behavior was deplorable, unwanted, and totally inexplicable from any rational viewpoint of what is supposed to occur when a patient presents herself for care at an ER.”

Based on the foregoing Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law, it is RECOMMENDED that the Department of Health, Bureau of Emergency Medical Oversight, enter a final order finding that Respondent violated section 401.411(1)(h); revoking his licenses to practice as an EMT and a paramedic; imposing a fine in the amount of $ 1,000; and imposing the costs of investigation and prosecution of these cases. DONE AND ENTERED this 6th day of June, 2024, in Tallahassee, Leon County, Florida.“

The Florida Department of Health, however, has not revoked Mr. Briganti’s EMT and Paramedic licenses as of Monday, July 22, 2024. The Department of Health did not respond to a request for information Monday afternoon. The Boca Raton Police Department tells BocaNewsNow.com that detectives did file an arrest warrant but the Palm Beach State Attorney’s Office declined to prosecute.

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