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Santa Cruz brain surgeon charged with child rape has medical license suspended SANTA CRUZ – A sex tape with 3-year-old and 10-year-old boys, and a 5-year-old girl, generated 32 additional molestation charges for a Santa Cruz brain surgeon, Watsonville nurse and Tucson, Arizona, mother suspected of a national sex ring seeking taboo families, according to court documents and a bail hearing Thursday.

Court documents list five children — two boys, two girls and “Child Doe,” whose gender is not listed — who were victimized on camera and cell phone video.

Dr. James Kohut, 57, is accused of luring women from California, Louisiana, Nevada, Ohio, Vermont and Australia with intentions to molest their children in Santa Cruz County and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, according to court documents. He also is accused of molesting the families of his conspirators, Emily Stephens, 30, of Tucson, and Rashel Brandon, 43, of Watsonville.

Superior Court Judge John Salazar increased each defendant’s bail to $15 million during the arraignments Thursday. Kohut, who was shaven, looked down and sat with his hands crossed in his lap, occasionally watching the team of bailiffs preparing the hearing. Kohut observed from the corner of a jury box in a courtroom at the Santa Cruz County Jail. It was the first hearing in the case at that venue. When Brandon was escorted into the guarded space, she sighed, smirked and glanced at the gallery of only three benches.

The trio made no eye contact during the hearing. All pleaded not guilty to their charges.

The new evidence, a GoPro video filmed in Watsonville between Jan. 1 and May 9, shows the defendants having sex multiple times with a 3-year-old and 10-year-old boy, according to court documents. Assistant District Attorney Steven Moore declined to say where in Watsonville the sex tape was filmed.

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Kohut, who worked at Dominican Hospital and was fired from Palo Alto Medical Foundation, faces 48 felonies tied to molestation in 2003, 2014, 2016 and 2017, according to court documents. He previously faced 11 felonies.

Stephens faces 45 felonies and Brandon faces 44 felonies linked with molestation.

OTHER VIDEOS

The case includes a video at a Scotts Valley motel between Jan. 1 and May 9 that depicts sodomy by the three defendants with the same 10-year-old boy in the Watsonville recording. That video is at least 54 minutes long, according to time stamps listed in the court documents.

A cell phone video recorded between Jan. 1 and May 9 shows the defendants copulating with the same 5-year-old girl. The location of that video is not listed in court documents.

Kohut is the only person accused of lewd acts and rape of the same 10-year-old boy in Tuolumne County between Jan. 1 and May 9.

Kohut is charged with lewd acts of a fourth victim, a girl who was younger than 14, from Jan. 1, 2003, and Dec. 31, 2005. No location is provided for that charge.

Kohut is also charged with attempted lewd acts on a child, a fifth victim, in 2014.

A BROTHER’S PERSPECTIVE

Isaac Lynn of San Jose, Brandon’s younger brother, was the only relative of the defendants in court Thursday morning. He has attended multiple hearings and has agreed to speak openly about some elements of the case.

Lynn said Brandon and Kohut worked at Dominican Hospital at the same time, but Brandon was not assigned to Kohut’s cases.

“It was pretty much an association,” Lynn said of his sister’s relationship with Kohut. “They knew each other from working at the same hospital.”

Lynn said he did not consider the $15 million bail unfair, “especially due to the new … evidence.”

“All parties have to face the full gamut of justice,” Lynn said. “Her spirits are good. There’s up and down times.”

When asked, Lynn did not discuss the status of Brandon’s children.

Lynn said the allegations are “appalling” and “deplorable.”

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