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Beaumont doctor rejects plea deal for underage prostitution charge, will go to trial

Dr. Saqid Ali would have had a 5-year sentencing limit if he had chosen to accept the plea deal. He faces up to 20 years if found guilty.

BEAUMONT, Texas — A Beaumont doctor facing a prostitution charge rejected a plea deal with a 5-year prison sentencing cap on Monday morning. Judge Raquel West said he will go to trial since he rejected the offer from the district attorney's office. 

Dr. Sadiq Ali had his license suspended in October 2020. The decision came after the Texas Medical Board learned Beaumont Police arrested Dr. Ali and charged him with prostitution with someone under 18 years old, which is a second degree felony. Ali faces from two to 20 years in prison if he is found guilty at trial. 

RELATED: Beaumont doctor's license suspended after being arrested with 20 others in October anti-human trafficking bust

Ali was arrested alongside Beaumont doctor Dr. Rajen Bhulabhai Desai in an anti-human trafficking bust.

Beaumont Police and the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office worked together for a two-day joint operation in October 2020, targeting what officials called "sex buyers," Officer Carol Riley said in a news release following the bust.

The 21 men arrested were charged with soliciting sexual relations from both minors and adults. 

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