A Sycamore Township man was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in federal prison for lying to investigators during a decades-old sexual assault investigation, according to prosecutors.
Frederick Tanzer, a medical doctor who has lived and practiced in Ohio, Kansas, and Colorado, pleaded guilty in September to three counts of making false statements to federal agents.
Court records state that Tanzer was linked to a 1989 sexual assault in Cincinnati through DNA evidence. Although the case went unsolved for years, investigators reopened it in 2024 after obtaining DNA from an item Tanzer discarded, which matched evidence collected from the original crime scene.
Prosecutors said Tanzer provided false information to investigators, including denying any contact with the victim on the day of the assault. His statements were later contradicted by forensic evidence.
Because the statute of limitations had expired, Tanzer could not be prosecuted for the original assault. However, federal authorities pursued charges related to his false statements during the investigation.
U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II said the sentence reflects the seriousness of Tanzer’s actions and the risk he poses to public safety.