Columbia University Psychiatrist Maria Karayiorgou Accused of Exploiting, Swindling Vulnerable Adult

April 15, 2026

A lawsuit alleges that Columbia University psychiatry professor Maria Karayiorgou exploited a vulnerable 72-year-old retired Wall Street executive, ultimately swindling him out of $1.3 million.

The family of Frank Watrous Hamilton III says he was left cognitively and physically impaired after a 2018 stroke—conditions they argue should have been obvious to Karayiorgou, an experienced psychiatrist who allegedly pursued a romantic relationship with him beginning around 2021–2022.

Read the entire story here.