25 Investigates: Former Mass. orthopedic surgeon sentenced to prison for rape

Getting answers. Uncovering the truth. Boston 25 News investigates. A once-prominent orthopedic surgeon now sentenced to prison. I'm Boston 25 anchor and investigative reporter Carrie Kavanaugh. I first started reporting on allegations against a former doctor, James DeVelis, in 2016. Ten years later, he's heading to prison. James DeVelis entered the Woburn courtroom to learn his fate Monday afternoon. The former orthopedic surgeon now a convicted felon. The judge sentencing him to seven to ten years in prison plus five years probation for raping a young man who was a family friend. The abused survivor sharing an impact statement in court saying his trust was violated. Jim once told my parents that me and my brothers were like the sons he never had. And his life forever changed. I think this trauma will carry into future relationships, into marriage, and into parenthood. It will affect the ways I teach my own children about trust and safety. Boston 25 does not identify victims of sexual abuse. The incident happened in 2020 at DeVelis' Lexington home where he plied the then 21-year-old with alcohol and assaulted him when he was unconscious. The 25 Investigates first reported on allegations against DeVelis in 2016. We uncovered patient complaints of sexual misconduct during exams and procedures filed with the state medical board. Months later he surrendered his medical license. He never faced any criminal charges for the patient allegations. Prosecutors said they could not move forward because of a legal loophole in Massachusetts. Patients were unknowingly consenting to what they believed was medically necessary and providers were shielded. But our reporting led to a change in Massachusetts law closing that loophole in 2024 so that medical professionals could no longer commit that type of fraud. When DeVelis assaulted the young man in his home, he could no longer hide behind the law. In addition to that prison time and the probation, once he's out of prison, DeVelis has to check into a sex offender rehabilitation program and wear a GPS monitor for at least three years. On scene in Woburn for 25 Investigates, I'm Carrie Kavanaugh.