TV correspondent, accused of asking child for naked photos, hired ex-D.A. as consultant
LA TimesDr. Bruce Hensel speaks at a 2006 event. Hensel — who had long served as NBC’s chief on-air medical correspondent in New York and Los Angeles — repeatedly texted the child from March to August of 2019, at some points asking her for photos that were “sexy and private,” according to records submitted to the California Medical Board earlier this year. Eventually, Hensel told the girl to take pictures “in underwear or less” to secure her place in the movie, according to the medical board records. Cooley confirmed he was hired by Hensel’s defense team to consult on a district attorney’s office policy he previously authored about the “collateral consequences” of sentencing decisions, which if applied in Hensel’s case would have affected whether the doctor had to register as a sex offender. That same night, the girl’s stepfather discovered the text message thread and Hensel immediately asked the girl to “delete all messages.” Levine, the defense attorney, said a forensic analysis of both Hensel’s and the girl’s phones confirmed his client never actually received any naked pictures.
History of this topic
Former NBC personality sentenced to probation for asking child for naked pictures
LA Times
Ex-ABC journalist charged in child sexual exploitation case
The Independent
Dr. Bruce Hensel, former TV correspondent, asked girl to send sexually suggestive photos, prosecutors say
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