SANTA ROSA, Calif. (KRON) — A former Santa Rosa chiropractor was sentenced on Monday to 10 years in state prison for committing sexual battery. Darius Bunyad, a 41-year-old Petaluma resident, was found to have committed sexual battery against his patients, some of whom were minors.

The crimes occurred between 2012 and 2015, when Bunyad owned a sports medicine facility in Santa Rosa, according to the Sonoma County District Attorney’s office. The DA said Bunyad improperly touched the victims’ breasts and other body parts, saying it was for legitimate chiropractic treatment.

He was convicted for crimes against eight patients, some of which worked for him. Five of the victims were minors, with the youngest being 15 years old.

During Bunyad’s trail in 2017, he did not show up to court after closing arguments were read. Almost two years after he was convicted, he was arrested in Mexico and extradited to Sonoma County.

During Bunyad’s sentencing, the father of one of his victims explained how his daughter had been groomed by Bunyad, going from patient to employee. The girl was a 4.0 student and a student-athlete, but she suffered PTSD, depression, anxiety, panic attacks and suicidal ideation after Bunyad’s crimes.

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Bunyad was convicted of six felony violations of sexual battery by fraud; six misdemeanor violations of annoying or molesting a child; and a misdemeanor violation of simple battery. He will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.