Man Who Impersonated Doctor Sentenced Up To Life In Prison
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4)- A man who impersonated a doctor so he could assault children has been sentenced to a minimum of 23 years and up to life in prison.
Kenneth Dean Lee was convicted of second-degree kidnapping, second-degree burglary, sex assault on a child, criminal impersonation, criminal invasion of privacy and false imprisonment.
Lee was sentenced on Wednesday to a minimum of 23 years and up to life in prison.
Right now there are three victims associated with the case but Lee admitted to several more. Investigators hope other victims will come forward.
One of the victims told her story to CBS4 because they want other victims to know it's safe to come forward. They also want families to know how the suspect preyed upon their family so that it won't happen again.
"I recall everything... from him showing up at the door and saying he was a doctor to my sister telling him to leave," said the victim's sister.
The victim was only 7 in 1996 when Lee knocked on her door. She was home alone with her 12-year-old sister when Lee claimed to be an immigration doctor who said he needed to give the younger girl an exam.
"If he had been caught when he first victimized my sister, that could have prevented all the other victims," said the victim's sister.
Prosecutors said for years Lee specifically preyed upon Vietnamese families through phone books, looking for children who were home alone.
"This is a guy who manufactured his victims by just going through the phone book and picking out Vietnamese surnames and he said he did it on purpose because of their vulnerability, willingness to trust the government," said Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler. "They're new to this country and he preyed upon them for that reason."
"Our culture really doesn't give way to being open and honest and trustworthy and language barriers cause him to get away with a lot of crimes," said the victim's sister.
Police wouldn't catch up with Lee until 2010 through phone records when he committed the crime again on another child who was 9.
Once caught, prosecutors say he admitted to many more victims ranging in age.
"Have that communication, have that conversation about if you are home alone, you don't pick up the phone and you don't open the door for strangers ever. It doesn't matter what they say or who they say they are," said the victim's sister.
