A Coachella Valley chiropractor persuaded women that he was treating them for gynecological issues in order to sexually assault them, a prosecutor said Tuesday.

Stuart Greenwood is charged with two counts of sexual penetration and three counts each of sexual battery and sexual battery under unlawful restraint — all felonies — involving acts that allegedly occurred at his Indio office over a three-year span.

“What Dr. Greenwood did was to abuse the trust given to him by these women,” Deputy District Attorney Bridget Rodarte told a Palm Springs jury Tuesday in her opening statement.

Greenwood touched the women — who were seeking treatment for back, shoulder and neck problems — in their private areas under the guise of providing a gynecological examination, after telling them a yeast infection was the source of their pain, Rodarte claimed.

“He neglected the issues they walked in with so he could focus on the area down here,” said Rodarte, motioning to the area below the bellybutton.

Defense attorney Michael Khouri deferred his opening statement until he begins his case. Contacted later by City News Service, he said he would not comment on the evidence until after the trial.

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