Former Milwaukee substance abuse counselor gets 6 years for sexually exploiting patient

As a substance abuse counselor, George O. Ramsey III was in a position of trust with people who were desperate for help.

They came to him at their lowest point, often while struggling with addiction and habits they were trying to kick.

Prosecutors say he preyed on some of them.

And now, Ramsey, 64, will spend the next six years of his life behind bars.

Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey A. Wagner handed down the sentence on Wednesday. Court records show Ramsey also must serve four years of extended supervision when he gets out of prison.

What were the allegations against George Ramsey III?

Ramsey initially was charged with three counts of felony sexual exploitation by a therapist and faced more than 37 years in prison.

Two of the allegations against Ramsey were logged in 2018 while he worked for Achievement Associates Clinic on West Fond du Lac Avenue.

A third was reported March 1, 2021, at a clinic run by Ramsey, called New Beginnings Wellness Center on Sherman Boulevard. It was that case for which a Milwaukee County jury in April convicted him of sexually exploiting one of his patients -- a woman in her 80s whom he forced at gunpoint to perform a sex act on him.

How were the cases against him concluded?

The jury acquitted him of one of the charges.

The other count against Ramsey was dismissed midway through the trial when a witness essential to the case failed to testify.

Ramsey has 20 days to appeal the sentence.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Former Milwaukee substance abuse counselor sexually exploited patient