(WXYZ) — Dr. Zvi Levran is still locked up in the Oakland County Jail and he’s now facing 19 charges of criminal sexual conduct.
The 7 Investigators have uncovered new details about past complaints against the doctor, as well as new details about the current accusations.
Detectives in Farmington Hills jumped into action the moment a 19-year-old man walked into the police department and told them what allegedly happened with Dr. Levran.
The bravery of that survivor coming forward in October sparked a massive police investigation that has now spread across Michigan, to Minnesota, Arizona, California, Georgia, North Carolina, and Canada.
“The Farmington Hills Police Department has received 33 additional tips from the public reporting similar, suspicious, or potentially criminal acts,” said Farmington Hills Police Chief Jeff King at a recent press conference.
Police and prosecutors urge anyone who has information or who may have had contact with Dr. Levran to call their tip line: 248-871-2610.
Police say the 66-year-old urologist has been involved with youth hockey for a long time.
“We do know he worked closely with several teams for decades,” said Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald at a recent press conference.
Now, new records uncovered by the 7 Investigators give us a detailed account of the allegations made by the first survivor to tell police his story. We are not disclosing several of the details in order to ensure the survivor’s identity is protected, and we do not name sexual assault survivors.
According to a police report obtained by the 7 Investigators, the 19-year-old man saw Levran at his home office in Farmington Hills for a sports injury. The survivor told police that Dr. Levran asked him to remove his clothes for the treatment. According to police records, Levran later started what he called a “relaxation massage” on the young man, which led to the doctor allegedly sexually assaulting the patient. Police reports indicate that after the assault, Levran told the teen not to tell anyone about what happened.
But the young man did tell police, which prompted them to get search warrants to seize several items from Dr. Levran’s home.
Detectives seized an animal print rug from Levran’s basement exam room, a digital camera from Levran’s master bedroom, several iPhones and iPads, at least 19 USB drives from Levran’s office, and several DNA samples.
“I want to send my thoughts and prayers to all survivors and their families. I want to commend those survivors that have come forward and the strength it took them to do so,” said Chief King.
While Zvi Levran does not have a prior criminal record, he does have past complaints that were filed against him with Michigan’s Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA).
Back in 2002, a female patient alleged Levran “failed to provide adequate follow-up emergency situations” and “did not adequately prepare [the] complainant for the … possible complications” after surgery.
In 2006, a mother complained to the state that Levran wrongly diagnosed her son and recommended surgery another doctor said he did not need.
Both of those complaints were closed without action.
In 2009, the Attorney General accused Dr. Levran of negligence and incompetence after he inadvertently removed the left testicle of a 12-year-old patient. Despite the state’s expert calling Levran’s actions “both unprecedented and staggering” and saying, “he should not participate in the care of children,” the case was later dismissed when members of the state board of medicine felt Levran’s treatment did not violate the state health code.
Levran told state investigators at the time that the incident happened because the patient was extremely overweight.
Then in 2020, at least one complaint was filed with the state alleging Dr. Levran performs pelvic exams on women out of his home. The complaint is listed as “closed” in state records.
The state has opened a new complaint based on the latest allegations out of Farmington Hills.
Levran’s lawyer, Joseph Lavigne, says he can’t comment on the cases but did tell us his client is looking forward to defending the charges in court.
He’ll be back in front of a judge on Monday.
Here’s a breakdown of the 19 charges Dr. Levran is currently facing:
- From West Bloomfield: 2 counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct 1st Degree
- From Farmington Hills:
- 1 count of Criminal Sexual Conduct 2nd Degree
- 5 counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct 3rd Degree
- 11 counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct 4th Degree
If you have a story for Heather Catallo, please email her at hcatallo@wxyz.com