KATY, Texas – Update, April 26: A spokesperson with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation sent KSAT the following statement when asked about Francis’s license to practice:
Under Texas Occupations Code 53, Texas Occupations Code 108, Texas Occupations Code 202.253 and the Podiatry Program’s Sexual Misconduct rules, we have the tools to revoke the podiatry license of someone who is convicted of a sexual offense and required to register as a sex offender. We have begun the process required for revoking a license.
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Original Story: A podiatrist in Katy, near Houston, will still be allowed to practice medicine after pleading guilty to repeated sexual assault of a child if he adheres to the terms of his plea deal.
Court documents show Hanna Elias Francis, 62, pleaded guilty to the continuous sexual assault of a 16-year-old while she was in his care as a physician. The charge is a second-degree felony that carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
According to the court documents, Francis sexually assaulted the teen “nearly every night during the summer of 2019.” She told her mother about the assaults in March 2020 and then the mother contacted the police.
An arrest warrant for Francis shows that the mother was able to connect with him on the phone while authorities listened in and that Francis admitted that “what he did was wrong and inappropriate and he never intended to be sexual” with the teen.
The Houston Chronicle noted that Francis is still practicing medicine at Westside Podiatry in Cypress based on information from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation and still holds practicing affiliations with several hospitals in that area. However, the Westside Podiatry webpage has scrubbed Francis from the site.
KSAT called the Westside Podiatry office and found that the recorded message still has Francis listed as a doctor. We were unable to speak with anyone at the office directly.
The website previously listed Francis as a “highly skilled podiatrist within the Westside Podiatry family” saying that he has been practicing for more than 24 years, specializes in wound care and office surgical procedures and “is very loved by our patients and staff.
Francis will still be allowed to continue practicing medicine unless he violates the terms of his plea deal which includes a $1000 fine, donating $50 to Child Advocates of Fort Bend, 10 years of deferred adjudication, and registering as a sex offender. Francis also waived his right to appeal the plea deal.
According to TexasDefenseLaw.com, deferred adjudication is usually offered to first-time offenders. If a person finishes the terms of their sentencing successfully a deferred adjudication can be sealed from public view by a non-disclosure filing.
Jail records show Francis was arrested on April 12.