A not-guilty plea has been entered for a Detroit-area doctor charged with performing genital mutilation on two Minnesota girls in a first-of-its-kind case in the United States.
Dr. Jumana Nagarwala appeared in Detroit federal court Thursday, a day after being indicted.
She's charged with six crimes, including conspiracy to bring the girls across state lines. It carries a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Nagarwala is charged with performing genital mutilation on the two 7-year-old girls in February at a suburban Detroit clinic owned by another doctor, who also is charged.
Nagarwala and the Minnesota girls' families belong to a Muslim sect called Dawoodi Bohra. Defense attorney Shannon Smith says she performed a religious ritual, not genital mutilation.
Separately, Henry Ford Hospital says Nagarwala has been fired.
