Former Mount Sinai EM resident Alan Li, MD sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for attempted child sex trafficking
Remember Alan Li, MD, the (former) resident physician who was a PGY-1 in the emergency medicine residency program at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, Florida?
maroonmed
The one who wanted a 12-year-old girl for "full service bareback" and a "live in situation", and claimed to have had a similar situation previously with a 13-year-old?
Yeah, that guy.
Ever since the initial story broke following his arrest in May 2022, it seems that there has been little in the way of follow-up from mainstream news sources. So what happened to Dr. Li?
State of Florida medical license suspension
Well, for starters, the Florida Department of Health (finally) suspended Li's state medical license (TRN34032) on March 27, 2023 under an emergency suspension order.
Li pleads guilty to federal charges
Meanwhile, there have been several developments from the federal judiciary, specifically the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida where Li's case is being tried. From the motions filed, it initially appeared that Li and his defense team were hoping for a trial. On October 27, 2022, Li entered a factual proffer followed by a guilty plea to the charge of Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a Minor to Engage in Sexual Activity. Obviously, the evidence the government had against him was pretty damning even at face value.
Sentencing
Sentencing occurred in January 2023. As is customary with federal court cases, Li was given the opportunity to submit a written sentencing memorandum along with letters of support from family and friends.
In it, Li describes himself as someone who has "otherwise led an exemplary life" and "not a bad man", but "a good man who simply needs help". If only all child sex traffickers were exemplary like him! /s
He acknowledges the statutory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, followed by a period of supervised release ranging from 5 years to life. Unsurprisingly, citing his age, the fact that he didn't actually meet with anyone, and case law with accompanying examples of criminals that did much "worse" things than he did, Li and his attorneys argued for no more than the statutory minimum for both prison time and supervised release.
Li had letters submitted on his behalf from his parents, brother, and a girl named "Katiana" who "was dating Alan for several months before his conviction". His parents note that "When he worked in Mount Sinai hospital as a doctor for 10 months, he got mentioned in the Emergency Department email network twice for his outstanding service to his patients". Truly astonishing. Personally, I can't say that I was ever publicly congratulated over email or otherwise during my time in residency, but at least I didn't engage in child sex trafficking! It's simply mind-boggling how well highly intelligent, highly respected individuals can hide the dark sides of their persona.
Just as unsurprisingly, the US government filed an objection to Li's sentencing requests. While it appears that they agreed to a prison term of 10 years, they argued for a longer, 15-year period of supervised release. They described Li as someone who is "clearly intelligent, sophisticated, and driven" who "used these abilities to carry out the offense". They also cited his own admission that he had previously "locked up a 13-year-old girl so that he could have sex with her", along with the high recividism rate of sex offenders, "particularly where children are concerned". Sounds like a pretty reasonable argument, to be honest...
Conclusion
On January 13, 2023, Judge Beth Bloom handed down her final judgment, sentencing Alan Li, MD to 120 months / 10 years in federal prison, followed by a 10-year period of supervised release. He will be required to register as a sex offender. Li's Federal Bureau of Prisons register number is #07507-506 with a release date of 11/18/2030. Although it appears that he was initially supposed to be designated to the low-security FCI Elkton in Lisbon, OH due to "family ties", Li is currently being held at the Atlanta USP, also a low-security federal prison and detention center.