Unwarranted intimacy with a patient during an examination costs an Old Bridge neurologist his license to practice in New Jersey for the next several years.

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Dr. Farooq Rehman's certificate was revoked by the New Jersey Board of Medical Examiners, in compliance with a 2016 consent order related to his guilty pleas to charges lodged the previous year, according to state Attorney General Christopher Porrino's office.

Rehman, who operated Neurology Consultants of Central Jersey in Old Bridge, is required to wait until late 2020 before re-applying for a medical license. See the consent order here.

Rehman's license was temporarily suspended about two months after his September 2015 arrest on a criminal sexual contact charge, the first of two involving two patients. The AG's office said that the Board reviewed video recorded clandestinely by one patient.

The Board's Hearing Committee alleged that Rehman fondled the patient's buttocks, bare breasts and clothed genital area, beyone the scope of an appropriate neurological examination.

The second arrest occurred in November 2015, about two weeks after the temporary suspension was imposed, authorities said. In December, the Board upheld the suspension pending a full hearing.

In June 2016, Rehman entered guilty pleas to a charge of criminal sexual contact regarding one patient, and harassment regarding another. He was ordered to serve a year of probation in August 2016.

Rehman's consent order, reached January 5 of this yeaer, resolves allegations against him while revoking his license, officials said. He is ineligible to manage or influence medical and health care procedures in New Jersey until all terms of the consent order are satisfied.

The dormancy period until he's eligible to re-apply is retroactive to the November 2015 temporary suspension. He receives no time reduction for practice in other jurisdiciton or states. He was ordered to reimburse $35,738 in investigative costs to the Board of Medical Examiners, and pay fines and penalties amounting to $10,000.

Before his reinstatement application is considered, Rehman is required to complete Board-approved ethics and boundaries courses, at his expense, undergo psycho-sexual tests, complete any resulting recommended treatments, and undergo a Board competency hearing.

Rehman was represented by attorneys Michael Critchley and Amy Luria.

Patients concerned that they have been subjected to inappropriate contact or behavior by a licensed health care professional can file complaints through the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs web page, or by calling 1-800-5846 or 973-504-6200.

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