TOLEDO, Ohio (Court TV) — A surgeon who admitted to giving his girlfriend abortion drugs tried to convince a judge that the victim wasn’t credible at his sentencing on Friday, but the judge wasn’t convinced.
Hassan-James Abbas appears at sentencing on Sept. 11, 2026. (Court TV)
Hassan-James Abbas, 32, pleaded no contest to charges of disrupting public services, unlawful distribution of an abortion-inducing drug, identity fraud and deception to obtain a dangerous drug as part of an agreement with prosecutors that saw charges of abduction and tampering with evidence dropped.
“Let me just say at the top here that there is a vast difference in opinion as to the underlying facts in this matter,” Judge Joseph McNamara said as the sentencing hearing began.
Prosecutors had accused Abbas of getting on top of his girlfriend and forcing abortion pills into her mouth during an incident in 2025. The victim went to the hospital after leaving Abbas’ home and reported the incident to police. “We concede … that Hassan’s actions were done with the belief that [the victim] was pregnant at the time,” Abbas’ attorney, Peter Rost, said on Friday. “We will concede that she may have believed she was pregnant at the time. But by the time she left the hospital after a 99-minute visit, she knew quite well that she was A) never pregnant and B) did not abort a child whatsoever because of medical testings that were done.”
Rost said that the pills were taken consensually and accused the victim of exaggerating and fabricating details, citing victim impact statements that referenced the loss of a child. “Her motivation for continuing that line of history in this case is irrelevant, whatever reason she has to continue that lie. And it is a lie, and it’s uncomfortable to say that, because she is a victim,” Rost argued. “But she has enhanced this issue in this case to a point that’s beyond acceptance and without comment to the contrary would be unfair to everybody: the court, the state and to Mr. Abbas.”
Prosecutor Jessica Worley argued that the victim “is not before Your Honor this morning, being sentenced on multiple felonies, including a conviction for a crime of dishonesty.” She reminded the court that Abbas used his ex-wife’s information to buy the drugs he gave his girlfriend.
“The purpose of holding a trial is to make factual determinations, and if either side wanted credibility to be established, that’s the reason to go to trial, hear testimony, cross-examine witnesses, and have a jury or a judge decide the facts,” McNamara said.
However, the judge said he didn’t find the defendant credible.
“Your story doesn’t make sense,” McNamara said. “If the victim wanted to have an abortion, she did not need you to use your ex-wife’s identity to order these drugs. So, quite frankly, I find your side of the facts not to be credible. The more likely version is you were thinking about yourself, your career, and you.”
Abbas addressed the court at the hearing. “I stand before you a humbled and sorrowful individual,” his address began. “I made several decisions which were markedly uncharacteristic and contrary to who I am at my core. I betrayed myself, and for that I will never forgive myself. Even worse, I betrayed those close to me: my friends, my colleagues, the worst of all, my family.”
Abbas mourned the loss of his career as a surgeon, saying, “more than a decade of studying, tests, simulation practice and 30-hour call shifts will likely be for naught,” though his attorney noted the defendant still has a medical license.
McNamara was unimpressed by Abbas’ address. “Your actions were incredibly selfish and horrible. I’m glad you apologized to the victim,” he said. “But the majority of your statement was about how your actions affected you. I find your conduct to just be self-centered.”
McNamara sentenced Abbas to six months in jail, to be followed by two years of community control.
