MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—MD00046541 DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—License Revoked; see bottom of page for documents
Yakima doctor gets 4 years for molesting patients
A Yakima doctor was sentenced Friday to four years in prison after pleading guilty to molesting three patients during medical examinations.
Dr. Fady Sabry, 57, earlier entered an Alford plea in Yakima County Superior Court to two counts of indecent liberties and one count of third-degree assault as part of a plea deal in April. Under an Alford plea, a defendant does not admit guilt but acknowledges there’s enough evidence to convict him.
He was initially charged with two counts of second-degree rape and a count of taking indecent liberties. The four-year prison term he received was at the upper end of the sentencing range. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
Sabry was arrested in September 2013 after a woman reported he sexually assaulted her during a pelvic exam. After his arrest, two women who worked with Sabry at Central Washington Internal Medicine reported he’d molested them during examinations.
Sabry and Yakima Regional Medical and Cardiac Center, which owns the clinic where Sabry worked, are being sued by one of the women.
Before passing sentence, Judge Michael McCarthy listened to about 20 minutes of impassioned pleas from victims seeking the maximum punishment and Sabry supporters requesting leniency.
In a letter read aloud in court, one woman said, “When my husband touches me the way Sabry touched me, I scream ‘Stop!’ I live with the constant fear that doctors are not to be trusted.”
Supporters countered by describing their dealings with him, the humble beginnings of his practice, and his generosity in providing medical care to people who couldn’t afford it.
However, Yakima County Prosecutor Joe Brusic said the good things Sabry did as a doctor were tarnished by his abuse of patients’ trust.
“You have a number of levels of violation here,” Brusic said. “It is very much worthy of the top of the range”
But defense attorney Adam Moore and Ellensburg resident Fard Muhammad, a longtime patient of Sabry’s, said they didn’t believe the doctor did the things he was accused of doing.
Moore said he is so convinced of Sabry’s innocence that he wanted to try the case, but he acquiesced to Sabry’s wishes to enter an Alford plea.
Also speaking on Sabry’s behalf were Debra Yergen, a former spokeswoman for Yakima Regional Medical and Cardiac Center who was a colleague of Sabry’s, and Carol Mae, a Yakima woman with ties to Egypt’s Coptic Christian community.
In asking McCarthy for mercy, Sabry’s defenders said that regardless of the length of the sentence, it’s a foregone conclusion that he will be deported to his native Egypt upon release.
So they urged the judge to choose the lower end of the sentencing range, three years, and hasten Sabry’s reunion with his family, which they say is all he has left.
Moore said he fears what might happen once Sabry is returned to Egypt, even alluding to the Islamic State group’s public execution of 21 Egyptian Copts in February.
“I’ve seen a lot of so-called Christians. They never miss a Sunday,” Moore said.
“But they don’t have the core of belief that Dr. Sabry does. And I hope we never see him marched along the Mediterranean in an orange jumpsuit, because most of those people who were slaughtered were Christians.”
In the end, though, McCarthy was unmoved by the entreaties for mercy. He said that even though Sabry’s actions may have been out of character, the doctor’s recalcitrance did him no favors in the court’s eyes.
“I have no doubt that these crimes were committed,” McCarthy said. “These women will never go to a medical appointment again without severe anxiety and concern.” (LINK) — 05/29/2015
Yakima physician’s license permanently revoked after 2015 molestation conviction
YAKIMA, Wash. – A Yakima physician who was convicted in May 2015 of molesting three patients has had his state medical license permanently revoked.
Dr. Fady Sabry permanently lost his physician credential in April 2016, the state Department of Health said Tuesday, releasing the information nine months after the fact.
Sabry was first arrested in fall 2013 on suspicion of third-degree rape of a patient during a medical exam. Three other patients later came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct during exams.
According to police reports at the time, patients who saw Sabry for back and neck pain were instead given “special treatment” he instructed them not to tell anyone about, in which he had them remove their undergarments and then massaged their pelvic area. Two of the patients had been employed by Sabry at his practice.
In April 2015, Sabry pled guilty via an Alford plea to one count of third-degree assault and two counts of indecent liberties, all felonies. He was sentenced to four years in prison.
As for the Medical Quality Assurance Commission’s process, separate from Sabry’s criminal conviction, the commission set a hearing date for May 2016, which Sabry canceled in January 2016 as he could not defend himself while incarcerated. That was the last communication the commission received from him, according to Department of Health records, and his failure to respond to later queries allowed the commission to conclude the case without his participation.
“Respondent’s license to practice as a physician and surgeon in the state of Washington is PERMANENTLY REVOKED with no right to reapply,” the final order says, citing Sabry’s sexual misconduct with patients as “calculated, manipulative, and disguised as a form of treatment” and the “predatory nature” of his behavior as aggravating factors.
“Respondent’s conduct has destroyed (patients’) confidence in the medical profession,” the order said.
Notice of the revocation of his medical license was sent by the state to the National Practitioner Data Bank and the Federation of State Medical Boards’ Physician Data Center. (LINK)—2/01/2017
MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—8659 DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—None listed as of 01/29/2016
Doctor whose 9 dogs died in car outside hospital in Mount Pleasant gets $500 fine
A doctor whose nine dogs died in his car as he tended to patients in Mount Pleasant will avoid felony charges and jail time by paying a $500 fine — a decision that prompted outcry from animal advocates.
Prosecutors made the deal with Charles Allen Bickerstaff, a 65-year-old gastroenterologist, after learning that he normally took great care of his Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and was distraught after their deaths in 2014.
Dr. Charles Allen Bickerstaff of James Island had faced nine felony counts but pleaded guilty instead to a misdemeanor charge. PROVIDED/CANNON DETENTION CENTERThe James Island resident had been arrested on nine felony counts of ill-treating animals, each punishable with between 180 days and five years in prison and up to a $5,000 fine. In exchange for his guilty plea to a single count of abandonment of animals, a misdemeanor offense at the magistrate level, the more serious accusations were dropped earlier this month.
Unlike some states, South Carolina has no statute specifically outlawing locking dogs in cars, a prosecutor handling the case said. It would have been “an impossible feat” to show that Bickerstaff meant to harm the animals by leaving them behind — a requirement of the ill-treatment law, Assistant Solicitor Stephanie Linder wrote in a court filing.
“The defendant and his wife saw the dogs as their children,” she wrote. “(They) adored their dogs.”
But Joe Elmore, CEO of the Charleston Animal Society, said an omission of proper care that unintentionally harms the dogs should have satisfied the charges’ requirements. He thinks a new law against leaving pets in cars isn’t necessary, he said.
“It’s a sad day for animals, and it’s a sad day for our criminal justice system,” he said. “We don’t need more laws. We need the adequate enforcement of laws.”
After accepting Bickerstaff’s plea, Magistrate James Gosnell in December ordered him to pay $667 in court fees and the $500 fine, the maximum under the abandonment charge. The count can carry up to 30 days in jail.
His arrest captured national attention. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals used the case as an example of the dangers of leaving pets in cars.
In the time since then, with Bickerstaff free on $90,000 bail, he has not gotten over the loss, said his lead attorney, Andy Savage.
“The unintended deaths of his precious dogs continue to haunt both Dr. Bickerstaff and his wife every day,” Savage said.
Prosecutors’ reasons for dropping the felony charges were explained in the court documents that Linder filed.
Bickerstaff told investigators that he left home Aug. 11, 2014, with seven adult dogs and two puppies packed into five crates in his Ford Explorer. He usually took the long-haired lap dogs to his Folly Road office, he said.
He stopped at the office, then went around 8 a.m. to East Cooper Medical Center, where he parked and rolled down the windows 3 or 4 inches, he said. His car’s thermometer read 75 degrees.
Bickerstaff performed an endoscopy before 9 a.m., then checked on the dogs around 9:45.
“Everyone was moving and responding appropriately,” he later wrote in a 13-page police statement. “There was some panting going on, which was to be expected. … To me, it was cool.”
He did another endoscopy and re-emerged after 11 a.m. By then, it was 84 degrees. The dogs were not moving.
At 11:30 a.m., he went to a nearby emergency veterinary office. Experts there said the dogs were dead. Rigor mortis had set in. Bickerstaff took them to his regular veterinary office on James Island, where employees said he was speaking incoherently.
By then, the vets who first saw the dogs had called the Mount Pleasant Police Department.
During an interview with detectives later that day, Bickerstaff was “visibly upset and vehemently denied intentionally harming his dogs,” Linder wrote in the filing. The police feared Bickerstaff would harm himself.
Two days later, he was arrested. A detective said at a bond hearing that her agency would, “if needed … prosecute to the fullest extent of the law.”
But Linder listed the hurdles to a successful prosecution.
Necropsies revealed none of the telltale signs of heat stroke. That only could be deduced as the cause of death from the circumstances. A New York professor offered a way to declare heat as the cause, but Linder said his methods, which would have come with a fee, were “highly suspect.”
Without scientific proof and considering the pets were of “utmost importance to him” — Bickerstaff gave them holistic foods and let them sleep in his bed — the case might not hold up in front of a jury, Linder wrote.
“While the fate of these animals was tragic, there is simply no evidence to show that the defendant acted willfully or knowingly with the intent to cause pain,” she wrote. “Instead, evidence strongly shows the defendant’s love for his animals.” (LINK) — 01/29/2016
Dr. Steven Jay Rigler MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—17802 DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS— None listed as of 1/29/2016
Dr. Amir Obaidullah Khan MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—20662 DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—None Listed as of 1/29/2016
Dr. David Cuong Manh Nguyen MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—22241 DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—Actions listed (see website)
Dr. Phong H. Tran MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—G 74233 DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—None listed as of 1/29/2016
Dr. Ronald Selwyn Grusd MEDICAL BOARD RECORD— A 32707 DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS— None listed as of 129/2016
13 New Indictments Announced in
Second Wave of Operation Targeting
Massive Patient Referral Scam
Scam Resulted in Millions of Dollars of Fraudulent Insurance Claim
San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis announced 13 new indictments today
against defendants in one of the largest workers’ compensation health care insurance bribery
schemes ever uncovered in San Diego County. The defendants include a radiologist, a pain
management physician, two chiropractors, a medical equipment provider, a medical clinic
administrator and a medical marketer. Eight defendants, including doctors and their associates
were indicted in connection with the same bribery scheme in November by the U.S. Attorney’s
Office.
The charges in this case are the result of Operation Backlash, an extensive FBI-led undercover
investigation that revealed a widespread kickback scheme, including attorneys, doctors and
medical providers who referred patients for health services in exchange for money. The
defendants paid kickback payments to the owners and operators of chiropractic clinics in San
Diego, Escondido and Calexico, in exchange for the patient referrals. A grand jury returned
indictments on charges involving approximately $450,000 in kickback payments, resulting in
millions of dollars in fraudulent workers’ compensation insurance claims.
The sheer scale of this fraud makes it one of the largest insurance bribery schemes in workers’
compensation ever uncovered in San Diego County.
“When law enforcement became aware of the scam, we began following the trail of dirty money
and it took us in many different directions,” DA Dumanis said. “The circle of criminal conduct
continues to widen with today’s charges, and we expect additional indictments and arrests in the
future.”
Getting paid kickbacks to refer patients for medical services is illegal. It creates an underground
market where patients are bought and sold. Kickbacks also drive up the cost of workers comp
insurance for law-abiding businesses.
Over the past year, staff and attorneys in the District Attorney’s Insurance Fraud Division have
been working in tandem with the lead investigating agency in this case, the FBI and the U.S.
Attorney’s Office in San Diego. As part of the operation, some Deputy DA’s have been cross-designated
as Assistant U.S. Attorneys.
Yesterday, law enforcement fanned out across three counties in a sweeping, early morning take
down of more players. Dozens of District Attorney Investigators joined law enforcement in
making arrests and serving search warrants at seven locations.
As of this afternoon, nine defendants were arrested.
Operation Backlash was first announced in November when the initial round of federal
indictments was handed down. San Diego chiropractor Steven J. Rigler and San Diego workers’
compensation attorney Sean O’Keefe previously pleaded guilty to federal charges.
In addition to today’s state charges, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced federal indictments
against three additional defendants. They include patient recruiters, Fermin Iglesias, Carlos
Arguello, Miguel Morales and four corporations. The corporations are Providence Scheduling,
Inc., Medex Solutions, Inc., Prime Holdings International, Inc. and Meridian Medical Resources,
Inc., doing business as Meridian Rehab Care.
The three federal defendants are accused of recruiting individuals to file workers’ compensation
claims resulting from an on-the-job injury. The defendants then directed these patients to specific
chiropractors who, in exchange for dozens of new workers’ compensation patients each month,
agreed to meet a quota set by the defendants for referrals of the new patients for ancillary goods
and services such as MRIs and durable medical equipment from specific providers.
The defendants either operated the companies that provided the durable medical equipment the
chiropractors were required to use or were paid by the ancillary-procedure providers for the
referrals for MRIs and other tests. If the chiropractors failed to average a certain quota of
referrals per applicant, the pipeline of new applicants was cut off, according to court records.
“It is paramount that patients are treated solely on the basis of their medical need - not the
doctor’s economic needs or pre-existing, hidden fee agreements,” said U.S. Attorney Laura
Duffy. “These prosecutions are part of an effort by my office and our law enforcement partners
to address the staggering scope of health care fraud and protect the well-being of patients.”
“This wave of indictments reinforces the FBI’s commitment to working as a team with our state
and local partners in rooting out corruption in our healthcare system,” said FBI Special Agent in
Charge Eric S. Birnbaum. “The FBI will continue to use our investigative expertise and
intelligence capabilities to detect, deter and disrupt sophisticated fraudulent criminal conspiracies
that undermine our health care system and jeopardize patient care.”
Insurance fraud wreaks havoc on the economy.
“These providers built an elaborate and illegal kickback and bribery scheme that bought and sold
patients - putting profits ahead of patient medical needs,” said Insurance Commissioner Dave
Jones. “Workers’ compensation is designed to protect injured workers and legitimate businesses,
not create a fraudulent profit center for providers bent on taking advantage of the system.
Fraudulent enterprises like this create a multi-billion dollar drain on California’s economy.”
Westminster doctor facing bribery, insurance fraud charges, banned from practicing medicine
Dr. Phong Hung Tran – a Westminster-based pain management specialist facing bribery and insurance fraud charges in San Diego County – must stop practicing medicinenext month under a judge’s order.
San Diego County Superior Court Judge Eugenia Eyherabide has orderedTran to stop treating patients starting June 3 until the outcome of his criminal case. No trial date has been set.
The doctor was indicted in December on more than four dozen charges alleging he paid more than $90,000 to two chiropractors in exchange for patient referrals, then billed insurance companies for the medications he prescribed to those patients.
For now, Tran is out of jail – he posted $250,000 bond the night of his arrest, Jan. 27 – and is treating patients at Coastline Pain Center in Westminster. A state database shows the center’s business license is currently suspended by the California Secretary of State for failure to pay taxes.
San Diego County Deputy District Attorney John Philpott said the judge’s decision was not in effect immediately so Tran would have time to transfer his patients to new doctors.
Tran and his attorney did not return messages seeking comment.
Tran was indicted along with the two chiropractors. The case against them stems from an undercover investigation led by the FBI.
That sting, called Operation Backlash, led to charges against 15 Southern California residents, including three men accused of recruiting patients to chiropractors who then referred the patients to other providers for “ancillary goods and services, such as MRIs and durable medical equipment.”
According to the FBI, the scheme involved about “$450,000 in kickback payments, resulting in millions of dollars in fraudulent workers’ compensation insurance claims.”
“It is paramount that patients are treated solely on the basis of their medical need – not the doctor’s economic needs or pre-existing, hidden fee agreements,” said U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy.
According to the indictment, Tran wrote as many as 20 checks for $2,000 to $8,000 each to two chiropractic businesses, Crosby Square Chiropractic and Desert Oasis Therapy Center, from December 2013 to April 2015 “as compensation … for referring clients,” and billed insurance companies for toxicology screenings, prescription drugs and compound creams.
“Dr. Tran was paying money for access to the patients. It’s not illegal to refer a patient, it’s illegal to receive compensation for it,” said Philpott. “In general it can be very, very lucrative for the people who receive these patient referrals.”
In 2008, Tran foreclosed on a house in Westminster and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection. He listed the IRS as a creditor to whom he owed $700,459. At that time, he owned Coastline Pain Center. It is unclear if he still does. (LINK) — 5/25/2016
MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—ME48581 DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—none listed as of 01/28/2016
Dr. Salomon Melgen, Embattled Bob Menendez Donor, Indicted On Medicare Fraud
MIAMI - Florida Doctor Salomon Melgen, who has been charged with corruption along with New Jersey Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, was indicted on Tuesday on Medicare fraud charges, the U.S. Attorney’s office in Miami said.
Melgen, 61, an ophthalmologist in North Palm Beach, was charged with 46 counts of healthcare fraud, as well as 19 counts of fraudulent claims, and 11 counts of making false statements relating to health care, prosecutors said in a statement.
Menendez and Melgen, who are close friends, were both charged in an alleged political corruption conspiracy earlier this month in New Jersey.
Menendez, a leading foreign policy voice in Congress, pleaded not to corruption charges earlier this month during a federal court appearance. He is charged with accepting up to $1 million worth of lavish gifts from Melgen in exchange for political favors. He was released without bail.
Melgen also pleaded not guilty to the corruption charges and was released on a $1.5 million bond.
Reuters was not immediately able reach an attorney for Melgen on Tuesday. He is due to appear in court on Wednesday in West Palm Beach.
Tuesday’s indictment alleged that between 2004 and 2013, Melgen participated in a scheme to defraud Medicare and other healthcare programs, by submitting false claims and medical charts, according to prosecutors.
Between January 2008 and December 2013, Melgen billed Medicare more than $190 million, for which he was reimbursed and paid, more than $105 million, they said.
“Melgen is alleged to have falsely diagnosed patients with serious eye conditions, notably age-related macular degeneration (ARMD or AMD) and retinal disorders,” it said.
Melgen is alleged to have made “exorbitant and improper profits” from prescribing the drug Lucentis, which is used for the treatment of macular degeneration.
“The defendant would purchase the drug from the manufacturer, Genentech, arrange to have the ‘single-use’ vials split into multiple doses and administered to multiple patients, many of whom were falsely diagnosed … and then separately bill Medicare and other health care providers at the reimbursement rate for each full dosage,” the statement said.
Melgen also falsified patient files, including false diagnoses, as well as fictitious drawings and diagrams that misrepresented the condition of the patients’ eyes, prosecutors said.
The indictment also alleges that he prepared fictitious reports regarding his “abnormal billing practices,” in response to audit inquiries from Medicare. (LINK) — 04/15/2015
Florida eye doctor found guilty of scamming Medicare
Florida ophthalmologist Salomon Melgen arrives to the Federal court in Newark, New Jersey
(Reuters) - A U.S. jury on Friday found a Florida eye doctor guilty of defrauding Medicare by as much as $105 million by using false claims, including charging for eye tests of blind patients, according to a federal court document.
The ophthalmologist, Salomon Melgen, is also part of a separate corruption case in which prosecutors say he bribed U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey.
The bribery case is set for trial on Aug. 23. In March, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Menendez’s bid to have the case involving donations from Melgen thrown out.
Federal prosecutors in that case say Melgen contributed $700,000 to political committees that helped the senator win re-election in 2012.
Menendez is not a defendant in the Florida case, which involved a 32-day trial in West Palm Beach.
The eye doctor was found guilty on 67 counts of federal health care fraud against him, according a verdict sheet filed in U.S. District Court. The Palm Beach Post newspaper reported that Melgen was originally charged with 77 counts, but not all made it to the 12-member jury.
Sentencing was set for July 14. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida and Melgen’s lawyers could not be immediately reached for comment.
Melgen, 62, was accused of fraudulently taking as much as $105 million from Medicare. Prosecutors say he gave patients unneeded tests and treatments from 2008 to 2013 that could not help them. They accused him of filing numerous claims to Medicare for tests conducted on patients with prosthetic eyes or who were blind.
Defense attorneys for Melgen said he used aggressive medical tactics as he tried to save his patients’ eyesight and that sloppy billing led to what looked like fraud. (LINK)—4/28/2017
MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—MD066253L DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—none listed as of 01/28/2016
Erie man arrested in Mercer County after road rage incident
Raymond McAllister, 45, charged with terroristic threats, reckless endangering
Police arrested Raymond McAllister, 45, of Erie and charged him with terroristic threats, reckless endangering and traffic violations.
State police said McAllister was traveling south on Interstate-79 when he encountered another party and began tailgating them at a high rate of speed. McAllister passed them at a high speed and began driving aggressively towards other motorists.
When the victims entered Mercer County they were driving beside McAllister in the left lane. McAllister was then reported to pull a loaded pistol from his hip and pointed it at the victims.
The victims called police to report the incident.
Police found a loaded pistol on the front passenger seat when they conducted a traffic stop.
McAllister was arraigned in Grove City. (LINK) — 01/02/2016
Erie Doctor Faces Road Rage Charges
A 45-year old Erie family practice physician is before a Mercer County magistrate, facing charges that he pointed a gun at two 19-year olds during an alleged road rage incident on Interstate 79 in early January.
Dr. Raymond McAllister is facing terroristic threats and related charges. State Police in Mercer say they got a call from two 19-year olds saying that someone was driving in an aggressive manner on the Interstate and at one point pointed a gun at them.
Police stopped the vehicles and after conducting interviews arrested McAllister. They say they found a loaded handgun in the vehicle as well.
Interestingly, this road rage incident lasted 60 miles. it started in Erie and ended at the Mercer exit on I-79.
After the evidence presented today, McAllister will be headed to trial. (LINK) — 01/27/2016
Erie Doctor’s Medical License Placed On Probation
Citing “Inability to practice as a medical physician and surgeon with reasonable skill and safety to patients by reason of illness”, the Pennsylvania Board of Medicine suspended Dr. Raymond McAllister’s medical license for not less than 3 years but stayed that decision and placed his license on probation for not less than 3 years.
Dr. McAllister was allegedly involved in a road rage incident on I-79 on New Years Eve that involved a handgun.
He originally faced 8 charges as a result of the incident.
Without pleading guilty in the case, he entered an accelerated rehab program for non-violent first time offenders. He is expected to be in the ARD program for 6 months.
The Erie Times-News is reporting that while in the ARD, Dr. McAllister will be subject to random drug tests among other professional requirements. (LINK)—4/15/2017
Erie doctor’s medical license suspended after sex with patient
Raymond McAllister, M.D., already had the license on probation following a 2015 road-rage incident.
An Erie physician whose medical license already was on probation for a road-rage incident in 2015 has agreed to have his license suspended for at least 60 days for having a sexual relationship with a female patient.
Raymond McAllister, M.D., also agreed to have his medical license placed on probation for three years following the suspension, according to consent decree and order documents filed by the Pennsylvania Department of State.
McAllister, 48, signed the agreement with the Pennsylvania Board of Medicine in early October. He works as a physician with UPMC Hamot’s Summit Family Practice, 3330 Peach St. He has been on leave, a Hamot spokeswoman said.
A phone message left with McAllister’s attorney was not returned.
McAllister admitted that he told his wife in January 2017 that he had sexual relations with a patient at a local hotel. He continued treating the patient at his office until September 2017, when he transferred her care to another physician.
McAllister’s medical license was already on probation following an incident on New Year’s Eve 2015 when he pulled a loaded pistol and pointed it at another motorist while driving south on Interstate 79 in Mercer County.
He had signed a consent decree with the board in 2017 that converted a three-year license suspension based on the road-rage incident to a three-year probation.
The board listed several mitigating factors in agreeing to the consent decree, including that McAllister is divorcing his wife and plans to marry the former patient, who urged the board to accept the decree.
As part of the agreement, McAllister will join the Professional Health Monitoring Program, abstain from alcohol and illegal drugs and submit to random drug testing. Violating the terms of the probation could result in an additional three-year license suspension, according to the documents. (LINK)—11/16/2018
MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—ME63087 DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—none listed as of 01/28/2016
Cosmetic surgeon Patrick Flaharty charged with DUIs
A prominent Fort Myers cosmetic surgeon is facing three counts of driving under the influence after the Jaguar he was driving was involved in a crash Saturday.
A report from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said Patrick Flaharty, 55, was driving a black, four-door Jaguar east on Daniels Parkway when he turned left onto Westlinks Drive and collided with a blue Camaro.
The driver of the Camaro, Ervin Bradley of Cape Coral, was treated at Lee Memorial hospital.
A deputy at the scene said she smelled a strong odor of alcohol from Flaharty. Deputies also said Flaharty had bloodshot, glassy eyes, was unsteady on his feet and refused several times to allow a breath test. He also refused to continue a field sobriety test partially through the test. (LINK) — 10/26/2015
Fort Myers physician’s DUI crash case resolved
A prominent Fort Myers cosmetic surgeon has plead no contest to a charge of driving under the influence with property damage from a crash on Daniels Parkway.
An Oct. 25 report from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said Patrick Flaharty, 55, was driving a black, four-door Jaguar east on Daniels Parkway when he turned left onto Westlinks Drive and collided with a blue Camaro.
The driver of the Camaro, Ervin Bradley of Cape Coral, was treated at Lee Memorial hospital.
A deputy at the scene said she smelled a strong odor of alcohol from Flaharty. Deputies also said Flaharty had bloodshot, glassy eyes, was unsteady on his feet and refused several times to allow a breath test. He also refused to continue a field sobriety test partially through the test.
Flaharty told deputies that he was turning to drive home when the crash happened.
He is a facial cosmetic surgeon and board-certified ophthalmologist and has operated Azul Cosmetic Surgery and Medical Spa in Fort Myers and Bonita Springs for about 20 years.
Flaharty was also ordered to pay restitution, perform 50 hours of community service and attend driver’s school. He also had his driver’s license revoked for six months. He was not prosecuted on one count of DUI alcohol and another count of DUI property damage. (LINK) — 01/27/2016
MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—02703 DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—none listed as of 01/28/2016
Paducah surgeon arrested, charged after allegedly threatening to bring assault weapon to hospital
A Paducah orthopedic surgeon faces charges of disorderly conduct and terroristic threatening Wednesday after he allegedly became unruly while performing surgery at Baptist Health Paducah and made threatening remarks mentioning a firearm.
According to a Paducah police report, Dr. Ted Jefferson was performing surgery Tuesday evening when the hospital’s chief nursing operator reported to administrators that Jefferson was having a “meltdown” and using profane language.
The nurse also stated Jefferson remarked, “I guess administration will be happy if I come in here with an assault rifle,"according to the report.
Police said Bonnie Schrock, the hospital’s chief operating officer, and Brad Housman, the chief medical officer, confronted Jefferson and attempted to diffuse the situation, allowing him to "cool down for around 30 minutes.”
The administrators then determined Jefferson could continue working, and he was allowed to return to the operating room, the report states.
However, Housman told police, Jefferson returned to surgery and immediately berated the surgical staff, demanding to know who had complained about him.
Jefferson was again confronted by administrators, according to the report, and they said he became belligerent, making another reference to an assault rifle and saying something about “not knowing when.”
Jefferson was suspended for 72 hours and escorted from the building by hospital security. The hospital administration then informed police of the situation, requesting extra patrols around the facility.
The hospital informed police that Jefferson has a history of “getting upset” and that administrators were concerned.
On Wednesday, officers said they encountered Jefferson in the hospital parking lot where the doctor stated he was returning to his office to write an email to the hospital’s administration.
The officers stated in the report they heard Jefferson say, “The only way to get anything done is to go home and get a pistol or a rifle.”
Police said Jefferson stated he was angry and upset the medical supplies were unsanitary.
Baptist Health declined to comment, referring questions to the Paducah Police Department.
According to his website, Jefferson earned his medical degree in Pennsylvania before coming to Paducah. He has been in practice for 15 years and specializes in “the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and injuries of the bone, muscles, ligaments, tendons and nerves in adults and children.”
Jefferson is not a Baptist Health employee, police said, but has surgical privileges at the hospital.
Jefferson was arrested Wednesday and taken to McCracken County Jail on a $500 bond. He was released on bond a short time later. (LINK) — 01/28/2016
Alford Plea Given by Former Baptist Health Surgeon
PADUCAH, KY - Former Baptist Health surgeon Dr. Ted Jefferson entered an Alford plea in McCracken County District Court on Tuesday.
According to the McCracken County District Court Clerk’s Office, Jefferson entered the plea regarding one of the two charges brought against him. The first charge, disorderly conduct, was amended to harrassment with no physical contact, and that is the charge to which Jefferson entered the Alford plea.
The judge ruled that Jefferson would be given a diversion program. and as long as he complies with the ruling then the charges will be dismissed at a sentencing hearing on November 15th.
The second and more serious charge of terroristic threatening was dismissed by the judge.
An Alford plea in United States law is a guilty plea in criminal court, where a defendant in a criminal case does not admit to the criminal act and asserts innocence. (LINK) — 5/11/2016
MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—03011 DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—none listed as of 01/27/2016
BG doctor indicted on felony domestic assault, wife charged with endangering others
A Warren County grand jury Wednesday indicted a Bowling Green doctor and his wife.
Dr. Todd Andrew Drexel, 46, was indicted for a charge of second-degree assault (domestic) involving his wife Selena Christine Drexel, 44, in an Aug. 15 incident that caused serious physical injury to Selena Drexel, according to the indictment against Todd Drexel, who is a doctor specializing in gynecology and obstetrics.
Selena Drexel is charged with two counts of first-degree wanton endangerment and one count of first-degree criminal mischief related to an Aug. 15 car wreck, according to the indictment and court records.
Selena Drexel is accused of wrecking her van into two vehicles while taking her husband to an emergency room Aug. 15 after he had been shot, according to a Bowling Green Police accident report and a Kentucky State Police statement. She told Kentucky State Police she shot her husband in self defense, according to Warren Circuit Court records. Selena Drexel is not charged with any criminal offense related to Todd Drexel’s shooting.
“The events surrounding the shooting are still currently under investigation,” Warren County Commonwealth’s Attorney Chris Cohron said.
Cohron declined to comment on Selena Drexel’s injury referenced in Todd Drexel’s indictment.
Court records show that the couple have minor children.
“At this time, to my knowledge, the children are not in the custody of their parents,” Cohron said.
The Bowling Green Police Department accident report shows that Selena Drexel was traveling west on Fairview Avenue toward the bypass Aug. 15 when she attempted to make a right turn, striking one vehicle in the rear driver’s side and another vehicle in the front driver’s side. Her husband was the only passenger in the car.
Selena Drexel immediately got out of her car after the collision and tried to pull out the driver of the first car she is accused of hitting, according to the accident report. She screamed at the other driver that she needed her car to take her husband to the hospital. That driver complained of back and shoulder injuries and was taken to The Medical Center. KSP learned about the crash as they were on their way to the Drexel’s 383 Fordes Crossing home after Selena Drexel called and said she shot her husband in self defense, court records show.
Todd Drexel was treated in a Nashville hospital and released.
“Domestic violence does not discriminate,” Cohron said speaking in general terms about domestic violence but not specifically about this case. “It touches all walks of life.”
Selena Drexel was initially charged with driving under the influence and wanton endangerment in August and is currently out of jail on bond.
“My understanding is he (Todd Drexel) will make himself available and should be processed sometime today or tomorrow,” Cohron said Thursday.
Cohron anticipates Todd Drexel to be arraigned within the next 30 days. Court records show that a Feb. 1 Warren Circuit Court date is set for Selena Drexel. (LINK) — 01/08/2016
Doctor pleads to misdemeanor in domestic dispute with estranged wife
Bowling Green physician Dr. Todd Drexel entered a guilty plea Wednesday to a reduced charge in a criminal case arising from a domestic dispute with his estranged wife.
Drexel, 47, pleaded guilty in Warren Circuit Court to second-degree wanton endangerment, a misdemeanor, and his 12-month sentence was conditionally discharged for two years.
Attorney Jason Hays, who represents Drexel, said in court Wednesday that the doctor, who specializes in obstetrics and gynecology, created a risk of injury to Selena Drexel when he confronted her in their garage Aug. 15, 2015, about an affair she was purportedly having.
A Warren County grand jury had initially charged Todd Drexel with second-degree assault, a felony carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
“Dr. Drexel had always maintained his innocence of the felony assault,” Hays said following the hearing before Warren Circuit Judge Steve Wilson. “We have always maintained that he did not intend to injure Mrs. Drexel and that her injuries were not serious in nature.”
Hays said Selena Drexel made a statement to law enforcement that the injuries she incurred during the incident were a result of biting Todd Drexel.
According to court records, on the night of the incident, Selena Drexel called Kentucky State Police to report that she shot her husband in self-defense.
Troopers were on their way to their home on Fordes Crossing Road to investigate when they learned about a collision involving the Drexels on Fairview Avenue.
According to Bowling Green Police Department records, Selena Drexel was traveling west toward the U.S. 31-W By-Pass and struck two vehicles as she attempted to make a right turn.
Todd Drexel was treated at a Nashville hospital and released, going on to resume his medical practice.
Police arrested Selena Drexel on charges of two counts of first-degree wanton endangerment and one count of first-degree criminal mischief. She was not charged with a crime in relation to the shooting.
That case is pending in Warren Circuit Court, along with another case charging Selena Drexel with first-degree stalking, theft by unlawful taking of property valued at less than $500 and alcohol intoxication.
The second case stems from allegations that Selena Drexel threatened the lives of Todd Drexel and their children and remained on her estranged husband’s property for hours before her arrest on Feb. 16. She is also accused of stealing a security camera from the property.
Court records show that Selena Drexel was arrested April 2 by the BGPD for violating a court order that forbids her from contacting Todd Drexel.
She is being held in Warren County Regional Jail under a $100,000 cash bond.
Hays said that reaching a plea agreement in the criminal case will allow Todd Drexel to seek to have the children returned to his custody.
“By expeditiously resolving this matter, we are facilitating that happening,” Hays said. (LINK)—5/03/2017
PLED NOLO CONTENDERE TO THREE COUNTS OF VIOLATING HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE SECTION 11153(A) (ISSUING PRESCRIPTION WITHOUT LEGITIMATE MEDICAL PURPOSE) AND ONE COUNT OF VIOLATING HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE SECTION 11156(A) (PRESCRIBING A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE TO AN ADDICT).
03/17/15 SENTENCED TO THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FOUR (364) DAYS IN COUNTY JAIL AND UPON RELEASE FIVE YEARS FORMAL PROBATION WITH TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND ORDERED NOT TO PRACTICE MEDICINE OR SEEK REINSTATEMENT OF HIS MEDICAL LICENSE.
State board revokes Clovis doctor’s license for bad prescriptions, helping patients cheat drug tests
The Medical Board of California revoked the license of a Clovis doctor for a long list of offenses, including negligently prescribing large amounts of painkillers to patients who may not have needed them and helping others mask their marijuana use from employee drug tests.
Dr. Clair L. Pettinger, who specialized in emergency medicine at a practice at 2491 E. Alluvial Ave., Suite 55, had his license revoked on Jan. 14 and no longer will be able to practice medicine in California.
Pettinger could not be reached for comment.
The 33-page report by the medical board outlines dozens of offenses committed over the last few years. Most revolve around Pettinger’s negligent prescribing practices. The physicians who reviewed Pettinger’s patient files noted he prescribed as many as 500 pain pills in one appointment to people who may not have needed any medication at all.
The board also noted Pettinger’s criminal convictions.
In 2011, Pettinger prescribed medical marijuana and painkillers to undercover U.S. Department of Justice and FBI agents without verifying their false medical records. When one of the undercover agents told the doctor he was worried about not passing a drug test, Pettinger prescribed him Marinol to mask the marijuana.
One of the agents told Pettinger that she used pain pills recreationally to “feel good.” According to the medical board, Pettinger told her there was “no good reason” for her to take pills, but he said that if she had an MRI exam and sent the results to him, he would prescribe her drugs regardless of the diagnosis.
He was convicted of five felonies and one misdemeanor related to the undercover operation. On March 17, 2015, he was sentenced to one year in state prison, which was suspended provided he completes a work program with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office and five years of probation. In December, his work program was transferred to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.
The board also noted that Pettinger had failed to keep accurate records.
He first received his medical license in 1975. (LINK) — 01/22/2016
MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—TRN17003 DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—License Null and Void
Young Doctor Caught on Camera Attacking Uber Driver in Drunken Rage
A drunk woman was caught on camera attacking an Uber driver, trashing his car and smashing his cell phone.
The video was captured by a bystander on Sunday evening in Miami, Florida. He uploaded the video to YouTube and included his account of the incident in the video’s description:
“We were on the phone with this uber driver while he pulled up to our location. Out of nowhere the girl in the video gets in the backseat of his car and won’t get out. We told the driver it was ok, to just cancel our ride, but he did not want to take her anywhere so he kept telling her to get out. “Eventually the driver gets out and says he’s calling the cops to get her out of the car. After a couple of minutes of the driver pretending to talk to the cops (i’m assuming he was pretending because they never showed up at first), the girl decides to reach into the front seat, grab his keys, and start walking away with his keys in her hands…. That’s where the video starts…”
The woman has been identified as 30-year-old Dr. Anjali Ramkissoon, a fourth-year medical resident neurology resident employed by Jackson Health System.
The bystander wrote on YouTube: “The police finally showed up after this video ends. The girl was in a taxi cab about to leave when the showed up and they had to stand in front of the taxi and tell him to stop. The girl eventually got up from the area the cops had told her to sit and wait, and tried to walk away from the scene. “Once in handcuffs, she then tried kicking some of the police officers on the scene. It was only when they put her in the police car that she started crying, apologizing, and claiming that she would lose her medical license (she claimed to be a neurologist) if she got arrested.”
In the end, the Uber driver declined to press charges and took a cash settlement instead.
“In his words, ‘…she was crying (and) said (she) was sorry for everything.’ I don’t want to disclose the amount the driver was paid, but can say he could only use the money to pay his cellphone bill and maybeee his cable bill.”
A post from the hospital citing Ramkissoon’s excellent levels of care for epilepsy patients has since been deleted. On review sites like Healthgrades.com and Vitals.com, listings for Ramkissoon as a doctor have been flooded with one-star reviews.
Uber has since suspended Ramkissoon’s account and released the following statement to Local 10:
“Uber expects everyone in our community to treat each other with respect and common courtesy … and we have a zero tolerance policy for all forms of harassment and abuse.”
Ramkissoon’s Facebook, Linkedin and Instagram accounts have also all been taken down in response to the backlash.
Her employerJackson Health System has also just released the following statement:
“Anjali Ramkissoon, a fourth-year neurology resident employed by Jackson Health System, has been placed on administrative leave, effective immediately, and removed from all clinical duties. Jackson has launched an internal investigation. The outcome of the investigation will determine if any disciplinary action will be taken, up to and including termination.” (LINK) — 01/21/2016
Miami Doctor Placed On Leave, Suspended From Uber, After Attacking Driver
MIAMI – A case of bad behavior has ended up as a viral video. A South Florida doctor was caught on camera physically and verbally attacking an Uber driver in the heart of Brickell.
The woman at the center of the viral video is Anjali Ramkissoon, a fourth-year neurology resident employed by Jackson Health System.
According to Jackson Health System’s Director of Communications, Ramkissoon “has been placed on administrative leave, effective immediately, and removed from all clinical duties.” The statement goes on to say, “Jackson has launched an internal investigation. The outcome of the investigation will determine if any disciplinary action will be taken, up to and including termination.”
The incident took place in the early morning hours of Sunday Jan. 17th and the video has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times since it was posted on YouTube two days later.
It was uploaded to YouTube by a poster named Juan Cinco who said he had called for an Uber driver but when the driver arrived, “out of nowhere the girl in the video gets in the backseat of his car and won’t get out. We told the driver it was ok, to just cancel our ride, but he did not want to take her anywhere so he kept telling her to get out.”
Juan Cinco recorded the confrontation.
In the video, Ramkissoon can be seen attempting to hit the driver and knees him in the groin. He pushes her off and she falls to the ground then comes back for more, cursing at him and then taking out her feelings on his belongings. She’s seen in the video throwing out various items from his car, including a master lock which she hurls at him, scissors, and a large amount of Uber fliers, and his iPhone.
At one point, the driver appears to be speaking to someone on the phone, presumably to police.
Miami Police say they responded to a call of a disturbance, but did not arrest her. Juan Cinco wrote online that the driver did not want to press charges, and that Ramkissoon gave him a small amount of money as an apology.
Internet users are demanding much more than that though.
Some are calling for her to be fired from her job as a neurology resident at Jackson Memorial Hospital. Others have photo shopped photos and posted what appear to be fake images of her topless.
No one at her South Florida home would answer the door to comment on the incident.
Her neighbor Ruby Ferro told CBS4’s Natalia Zea the behavior she saw in the video is nothing like the young lady she has known since she was a child.
“I just got surprised because they’re a beautiful family,” said Ferro. “Anjali and her sister, they’re good girls. They’re quiet people. They never have a problem.”
Ferro is urging those who are basing their opinions of her from the one video to have a heart.
“You could be a beautiful person but one day you have a problem, the job or the family or the boyfriend and you change that day. But that doesn’t mean you’re a bad person,” said Ferro.
In addition to being placed on administrative leave at Jackson Health, Uber has suspended her account and released this statement.
“Uber expects everyone associated with the platform – both drivers and riders – to conduct themselves with a shared level of respect and common courtesy, and all forms of harassment and abuse are not tolerated. We have suspended the rider account of this individual as we investigate the incident.” (LINK) — 01/21/2016
Jackson Health System officials released a statement Friday saying that fourth-year resident Anjali Ramkissoon, 30, would be terminated, the Miami Herald reported.
The hospital’s statement said she has a right to appeal her termination.
The video, shot in Miami’s Brickell area and posted to YouTube on Jan. 19, shows the apparently drunk, shorts-clad neurosurgeon trying to commandeer another Uber customer’s ride.
She is seen hitting the Uber driver in the face and screaming profanities and insults at him. After landing on the ground following a tussle in which she tried to knee the driver in the groin, she jumps up and climbs into the front seat of his car, demanding the driver “get the f–k in the car!”
When he instead calls the police, she remains in the front seat, throwing papers, scissors, an iPhone and other objects from the car, all the while shouting that the police will not believe that she had assaulted the driver because of her size.
The diminutive doc, who for all her fury stands just 5 feet tall, then climbs out of the vehicle and walks away.
When she was confronted by police, she pleaded with them, tearfully claiming that she would lose her medical license if she were arrested. The driver declined to press charges.
The brain surgeon was placed on administrative leave and “removed from all clinical duties” soon after the video went public.
The video, which has been viewed more than 6.8 million times, made Ramkissoon a poster child for bratty behavior. It prompted tens of thousands of comments, and even spawned a mocking online site featuring more than a dozen photos of her pulled from social media, and urging viewers to call the hospital and demand that she be fired.
All of her social media accounts have apparently been shut down.
In a round of media interviews a week after the meltdown, Ramkissoon offered a long list of excuses for the now-infamous tantrum.
“Just minutes prior to that altercation with the Uber driver, my boyfriend and I of two years had just broken up,” she told “Good Morning America.” Her father was also hospitalized that morning, she said.
“It was probably one of the worst days of my life, and I was caught at my lowest moment.” (Link)—04/23/2016
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