FLORIDA MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—ME99126 LICENSE STATUS/DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—License active; no actions listed as of 10/30/2016
Emergency order restricts license for Miami doctor specializing in Brazilian butt lifts
A Miami plastic surgeon who promises clients “the flattest possible stomach” and “the most curvaceous backside” repeatedly botched liposuction and other medical procedures, causing such significant injuries to four patients that the Florida Department of Health issued an emergency restriction on the doctor’s license this month.
Dr. Osakatukei “Osak” Omulepu presents an “immediate serious danger” to the public health if he were allowed to continue performing liposuction and fat transfers to the buttocks, a procedure commonly known as a “Brazilian butt lift,” according to the order signed by Florida Surgeon General John Armstrong on Feb. 16.
The emergency order also restricts Omulepu, 43, from performing any medical procedure using what is known as tumescent technique, typically used for liposuction, in which a solution containing a local anesthesia is applied to constrict capillaries and prevent blood loss.
In this promotional video for Spectrum-Aesthetics Center for Cosmetic Surgery in Miami, Dr. Osak Omulepu describes himself as “very aggressive when it comes to liposuction.” Omulepu injured four women in May 2015 performing liposuction, Florida health officials said.
A licensed physician in Florida since 2000, Omulepu botched the cosmetic surgeries of four patients during two days in May 2015 while working for Spectrum-Aesthetics Center for Cosmetic Surgery and Vanity Cosmetic Surgery, both in Miami, according to the order.
“The extreme number of violations that occurred within this two-day period, which resulted in significant and lasting patient harm, indicates that Dr. Omulepu’s conduct is likely [to] continue. If his conduct continues, it will cause significant harm to his patients,” the order said.
Omulepu could not be reached for comment Tuesday. His home telephone in Miramar is disconnected, and he did not reply to an email from the Herald seeking comment. Omulepu did not return messages left for him at Spectrum-Aesthetics and at a Hialeah plastic surgery office where he now works.
The plastic surgeon promotes his work in numerous videos on YouTube showing graphic close-ups of surgeries. In one video Omulepu says, “My specialty that I love to do is the Brazilian butt lift. I’m known to be very aggressive when it comes to liposuction.”
Dr. Osak Omulepu, speaking in promotional video
Later in the same video, Omulepu assures viewers that, “Safety is a concern, always, when it comes to surgery.”
The website for Spectrum-Aesthetics, which features Omulepu’s videos, also includes patient testimonials indicating that they were swayed by the doctor’s videos and that they traveled to Miami from out of state for their surgeries.
The injured patients, all women ranging in age from 29 to 35, were not identified in the emergency order, which only used their initials. All of the patients’ injuries required hospitalization from three days to three months, according to the order, which adds that at least two of the patients were transferred to hospitals in Michigan to complete their recoveries.
In each of the cases, Florida health officials say Omulepu failed to use the correct proportion of local anesthesia and other medications when performing liposuction, leading to extensive bleeding and other complications.
In [a] video posted to YouTube, Dr. Osak Omulepu transfers fat from a patient’s stomach and injects it into her buttocks, a procedure known as “Brazilian butt lift.” Omulepu injured four women in May 2015 performing liposuction, Florida health officials said.
The order says that in two of the cases, Omulepu repeatedly tore the patients’ internal organs, including the liver and small intestine, causing severe blood infections and, in one case, acute kidney failure and respiratory failure.
While the patient with renal and respiratory failure was in the hospital, Omulepu indicated to the woman’s family that he was “trying to figure out what he did wrong” and admitted that he “really messed up,” according to the state’s order.
Omulepu discharged patients to facilities such as motels, incapable of providing necessary medical care after surgery, the order notes.
One woman who underwent liposuction of her stomach, thighs and other areas was found bleeding profusely in a motel at 3 a.m. by her father, the emergency order says. Two other patients returned to see Omulepu the day after their surgeries, complaining about pain, according to the order, only to be told that they were dehydrated and needed more fluids.
In each case, the health department said, Omulepu’s case fell below the minimum standard.
Thomas Zaydon, a plastic surgeon and immediate past president of the Florida Society of Plastic Surgeons, said patients are often reluctant to report bad outcomes from cosmetic surgery.
“I see injured patients,” Zaydon said. “It’s very hard for me to get the injured patients to speak up. They want their privacy. They blame themselves.”
He advises consumers considering plastic surgery to research their physician and to look for certification from the American Board of Plastic Surgery and membership in a medical society for plastic surgery.
Omulepu is not board certified in plastic surgery, according to state records. His profile on Spectrum-Aesthetics indicates that he’s licensed to practice medicine in Florida, Massachusetts and New York. (LINK) — 2/23/2016
State moves to revoke license of Miami ‘butt lift’ surgeon accused of medical malpractice
Florida health officials this week took steps to revoke the medical license of a Miami cosmetic surgeon accused of severely injuring at least four patients in May 2015 while performing liposuction and another procedure known as a “Brazilian butt lift.”
The administrative complaintfiled by the Florida Department of Health requests that the state’s Board of Medicine, which regulates physicians, permanently yank the medical license of Dr. Osakatukei “Osak” Omulepu, who practiced at at Spectrum-Aesthetics Center for Cosmetic Surgery and Vanity Cosmetic Surgery, both in Miami.
Omulepu could not be reached for comment. Yelina Angulo, an attorney representing Vanity Cosmetic Surgery, said Omulepu is not an employee of the clinic but that he used the facility to perform surgeries. Omulepu is no longer performing surgeries at Vanity, she said.
The doctor has 21 days from the day he receives the state’s complaint to dispute the charges, accept them or negotiate a settlement. A settlement would require approval from the Board of Medicine at a public hearing.
If Omulepu, 43, chooses to dispute the charges, then he will face a hearing akin to a trial before the state’s Division of Administrative Hearings. State health officials likely would call on the testimony of witnesses, including the four patients.
In [a] video posted to YouTube, Dr. Osak Omulepu transfers fat from a patient’s stomach and injects it into her buttocks, a procedure known as “Brazilian butt lift.” Omulepu injured four women in May 2015 performing liposuction, Florida health officials said.
The injured patients, women ranging in age from 29 to 35, were not named in the state’s complaint, which used their initials. The women underwent surgery with Omulepu during a period of three days in May 2015.
All of the patients’ injuries required hospitalization from three days to three months, according to a state emergency order issued in February, which barred Omulepu from performing liposuction and fat transfers to the buttocks.
In two of the cases, Omulepu is accused of repeatedly tearing the patients’ internal organs, including the liver and small intestine, causing severe blood infections and, in one case, acute kidney failure and respiratory failure.
Omulepu does not carry medical malpractice insurance, according to state records, and it’s not clear what legal recourse the injured patients have against the doctor.
While the patients cited in the state’s complaint are anonymous, two other former patients of the doctor said they, too, were hospitalized with infections and other injuries last year after Omulepu performed liposuction and fat transfers to the buttocks.
The Miami Herald contacted the women after they posted comments about the doctor on a cosmetic surgery referral website called RealSelf.com, where Omulepu has received high ratings. The women asked that the Miami Herald not use their names because they want their medical procedures to remain private.
“I feel like I was just used like a test dummy,” said one woman, a 27-year-old mother of three who traveled from St. Louis, Missouri, to Miami for her surgery in May 2015.
“I went to him to feel better about my body,” she said. “I feel even worse now. I completely, totally regret what I did. … I feel stupid.”
The woman said she was hospitalized three times with serious infections in her legs and her back.
She said she spent about $6,000 for the cosmetic surgery, including travel expenses and fees to Spectrum-Aesthetics. Now, she said, she owes about $60,000 in medical bills for the hospitalizations, prescription antibiotics and other care.
What disappoints her most, she said, is that she spoke with Omulepu by phone almost daily prior to the surgery. But after she was hospitalized with the infections in Missouri, she said Omulepu would not return her calls.
“I feel damaged,” she said. “They sold me all these dreams, and then it’s like when things go wrong, they’re nowhere to be found.”
A second woman who traveled from Austin, Texas, to Miami for liposuction and a Brazilian butt lift in April 2015 said Omulepu also left her with serious infections and then disappeared when she reached out to him for help.
“I could be dead for all he knows. He doesn’t know anything about me,” said the woman, a 28-year-old student at Texas State University.
The Texas woman said she had “treated” herself to cosmetic surgery after losing a lot of weight. She said she didn’t tell anyone that she was going to have cosmetic surgery.
“I was very naive,” she said. “I thought I could do this by myself.”
After returning to Texas, the woman said, she began to develop golf ball-sized indentations in her buttocks. She also felt faint and feverish. She went to an emergency room, where doctors admitted her for more than two weeks to treat her infections.
She said she now owes about $75,000 in medical bills related to the hospitalization and treatment for the infections. That’s on top of the $6,000 she spent for her cosmetic surgery at Spectrum-Aesthetics.
“Mentally, it really damages you,” she said. “You don’t know how bad it damages you.
“For a long time,” she said, “I thought it was my fault.”
The plastic surgeon promotes his work in numerous videos on YouTube showing graphic close-ups of surgeries. In one video Omulepu says, “My specialty that I love to do is the Brazilian butt lift. I’m known to be very aggressive when it comes to liposuction.”
Omulepu is not certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, according to state records. The Florida Society of Plastic Surgeons advises consumers considering plastic surgery to research their physician and to look for board certification and membership in a medical society for plastic surgery.
The Texas woman said she’s now consulting with a certified plastic surgeon in the hopes that a new doctor can repair the cosmetic damage she attributes to Omulepu.
“I’m not the same way I used to be,” she said. “I don’t look the way I used to look.” (LINK) — 3/16/2016
‘Butt lift’ surgeon fights effort to revoke license for malpractice
Dr. Osakatukei “Osak” Omulepu filed documents this month with the health department announcing his intent to dispute allegations in the state’s complaint, including charges that he used the wrong concentration of a local anesthetic, that he perforated patients’ organs and that he failed to discharge patients to a facility capable of providing appropriate care.
Richard T. Woulfe, an attorney representing Omulepu, declined to address the specific points of contention. But he noted that the doctor will challenge “most of the factual claims made by the department” when the case is heard by an administrative law judge.
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“At this point it’s early,” he said, “and I think we’re going to stand on that.”
Omulepu, who participated in a conference call with Woulfe and another attorney, declined to comment.
State health officials initially issued an emergency order in February restricting Omulepu from performing liposuction and fat transfers to the buttocks, stating that the doctor presents an “immediate serious danger” to the public health.
Woulfe said Omulepu stopped performing cosmetic surgeries after the emergency order was issued. Prior to the health department’s complaints, Omulepu had practiced at Spectrum-Aesthetics Center for Cosmetic Surgery and Vanity Cosmetic Surgery, both in Miami.
“There’s a very limited ability to practice under the current restrictive order,” Woulfe said. “So he decided not to risk anything and he has not been practicing.”
The injured patients, all women ranging in age from 29 to 35, were not identified in the state’s complaint, which only used their initials. All of the patients’ injuries required hospitalization from three days to three months, according to state records.
Omulepu does not carry medical malpractice insurance, a decision that some patients who spoke on condition of anonymity said left them with no legal recourse for seeking repayment of hospital bills resulting from their botched cosmetic surgeries.
Florida law does not require physicians to carry medical malpractice insurance, Woulfe said, though doctors are required to inform patients of that choice. Woulfe said he speaks regularly with physicians who choose not to carry medical malpractice insurance.
“Frankly, the cost of insurance is significant,” he said. “So on most occasions it’s a business decision.”
In [a] video posted to YouTube, Dr. Osak Omulepu transfers fat from a patient’s stomach and injects it into her buttocks, a procedure known as “Brazilian butt lift.” Omulepu injured four women in May 2015 performing liposuction, Florida health officials said.
Under Florida’s process for enforcing complaints against physicians, Omulepu’s challenge will be reviewed in a quasi-judicial trial before the state’s Division of Administrative Hearings, which will then deliver a recommendation to the state’s Board of Medicine.
But the Board of Medicine, which has the authority to revoke physician licenses, is not required to follow the administrative judge’s recommendations and may choose a different form of discipline or none at all. Both the health department, whose attorneys are prosecuting the case, and Omulepu can contest the Board of Medicine’s final ruling to the district court of appeal. (LINK) — 4/19/2016
Surgeon Faces Losing Medical License in Malpractice Hearing
Over three days in May 2015, a South Florida doctor is accused of botching four women’s cosmetic surgeries.
A medical malpractice hearing got underway in Fort Lauderale on Wednesday for Dr. Osak Omulepu. The State could suspend or revoke his license after four women were hospitalized after undergoing cosmetic procedures.
The four women told an administrative judge the doctor’s procedures landed them in the hospital with life-threatening complications.
One of the women, Nyosha Fowler of Alabama, said she still can’t feel her foot and has trouble walking after her Brazilian Butt Lift procedure more than a year ago. She was hospitalized for four months after the surgery.
Fowler told the judge what she recalled after waking up from surgery.
“I don’t know I was out of it, I couldn’t stand, let alone walk, I couldn’t even stand my feet were like this, like my feet were like penguin feet,” Flowler told the judge.
The State said Dr. Omulepu injected fat not only into her backside but also into her sciatic nerve and also hit her bowel with his instruments.
Fowler’s mother testified about the conversation she had with Dr. Omulepu hours after the surgery.
“He said ‘I messed up, I messed up, that’s all I can say is I messed up’,” she said.
Another patient, identified only as L.L., testified by phone.
“I began running to the car because I knew that if I didn’t get to the hospital in a timely manner that something bad was going to happen I felt the life was draining out of me,” she said.
A third patient told the NBC 6 Investigators prior to the hearing that the instruments used during her Brazilian Butt Lift punctured her liver. Donna McRae says she spent four months in the hospital after her surgery.
“In hindsight, I shouldn’t have done it. I honestly didn’t need it,” McRae said. “I had a beautiful figure before, I just wanted more. I almost died because of vanity.”
The doctor’s attorney denied the allegations. During the administrative hearing, she said the patients all signed consent forms that show they acknowledged the risks of the procedures. She also said they were all known complications of these surgeries.
“Dr. Omulepu is very happy that we finally have our day in court and I think at the end of this, he’s going to be vindicated and we look forward to the decision,” said attorney Monica Felder-Rodriguez.
Omulepu’s defense called another plastic surgeon to testify. He testified about the risks.
“Unfortunately these things happen,” Dr. Michel Samson of Port Orange.
The judge’s decision will be a recommendation that will then go before Florida’s Medical Licensing Board. The discipline could range from a reprimand to getting his license revoked. It could be months before a final decision is made. (LINK) — 10/27/2016
The Florida Board of Medicine filed paperwork Tuesday to officially revoke the license of Dr. Osak Omulepu. That step means he will no longer be allowed to perform cosmetic procedures including his self-proclaimed specialty, the Brazilian Butt Lift, in Florida.
His attorney, Monica Rodriguez, by phone said she has filed paperwork Tuesday to appeal the decision.
Department of Health officials said the doctor was “reckless” in performing Brazilian butt lift procedures on two women in 2015. Both women were hospitalized with life threatening conditions. The NBC 6 Investigators have reported on the issues involving patients who claimed they had health issues after undergoing surgery with Dr. Omulepu.
On May 15, 2015, mothers Nyosha Fowler and Donna Mcrae traveled from out-of-state to Miami to undergo Brazilian Butt Lift procedures. That’s where fat is taken from a patient’s stomach or back and injected into their butt.
An administrative judge ruled Dr. Omulepu committed malpractice by improperly using the metal instrumented to inject fact, along with record keeping violations. The Board of Medicine voted in early April to revoke the doctor’s license instead of a lighter penalty which would have allowed him to continue operating.
The doctor struck Mcrae’s liver and Fowler’s bowel. Both women were hospitalized and Fowler said she still has trouble walking two years later.
During a recent medical board hearing, Dr. Omulepu’s attorney argued hitting an organ is a known complication that is covered in the consent form signed by patients.
The Brazilian Butt Lift procedure is growing in popularity around the world. A series of NBC 6 Investigations into the surgery sparked a worldwide study that found the risk of dying is up to 20 times greater than any other cosmetic procedure. The study also issued new recommendations to doctors, encouraging them to not insert their instruments too deeply into the body to avoid into veins and organs.
The doctor’s attorney said in addition to filing a notice of appeal she will ask a judge to grant a stay that would allow him to operate during the appeals process. It could take up to two weeks for a judge to make a decision. (LINK)—4/18/2017
Miami ‘butt lift’ doctor regains right to practice while appealing revoked license
A Miami doctor who seriously injured patients during liposuction and so-called Brazilian butt lift surgeries regained the right to practice medicine on Monday while he appeals the Florida medical board’s final order to revoke his license.
A three-judge panel for Florida’s First District Court of Appeals in Tallahassee agreed on a 2-1 vote — with Chief Judge L. Clayton Roberts dissenting without comment — to grant the doctor’s request to delay the revocation of his license.
The doctor, Osakatukei “Osak” Omulepu, was not available for comment. His attorney, Monica Felder Rodriguez, said on Monday that, “Today he gets to go back to practice with no restrictions.”
Osakatukei “Osak” Omulepu, a South Florida physician accused of seriously injuring patients during liposuction and so-called Brazilian butt lift procedures in May 2015, regained his right to practice medicine on Monday after a Florida court granted his request to delay the revocation of his license by the state’s medical board while he appeals the action.
Rodriguez said she did not know if Omulepu was performing surgeries in South Florida on Monday. After the Florida Board of Medicine revoked Omulepu’s license on April 18, she said, “He had to cancel everything.”
When it revoked Omulepu’s license, the state medical board said the doctor seriously injured two different patients on the same day in May 2015 by puncturing their organs during surgeries for liposuction and fat transfers to the buttocks.
Omulepu also injured two additional patients that month after failing to use the correct proportion of local anesthesia and other medications when performing liposuction, leading to extensive bleeding and other complications, according to the Florida Department of Health’s complaint against the doctor.
Florida health officials imposed an emergency restriction on Omulepu’s medical license in February 2016, claiming that the doctor presented “an immediate serious danger” to the public health and prohibiting him from performing liposuction and fat transfer procedures.
Rodriguez said her client has had a clean record with patients since then. “As far as I’m aware,” she said, “since he’s gone back to practice after that emergency restriction order, I don’t think he’s had any complications with patients.”
The state health department issued a second complaint against Omulepu in August 2016, claiming that he had injured a fifth patient in April 2015 by once again failing to use the correct proportion of local anesthesia and other medications, and by exceeding the standard amount of fatty tissue injected into the patient’s buttocks.
That case was later dismissed.
For Omulepu’s injured patients, news that the physician had regained his right to practice medicine on Monday came as a disappointment.
TODAY HE GETS TO GO BACK TO PRACTICE WITH NO RESTRICTIONS.
Monica Felder-Rodriguez, attorney for Osak Omulepu
Nyosha Fowler, one of the four patients injured by Omulepu in May 2015, said she keeps in touch with about a dozen other patients injured by Omulepu, though she could not immediately recall if any of them had suffered injuries since August 2016.
Fowler said she has not been able to regain a normal life since Omulepu repeatedly punctured her bowels and injected fat into her sciatic nerve, causing her to lose function of her left foot. She said that she still has about $2 million in unpaid medical bills as a result of her injuries, and that she walks with a brace.
“I keep feeling victimized all over again,” said Fowler, who spent 28 days in a coma at Baptist Hospital of Miami following the surgery.
Florida health officials did not immediately respond to the Herald’s questions regarding Omulepu’s case on Monday. Omulepu does not carry medical malpractice insurance, according to his licensure profile with the state health department.
Rodriguez said the appeals process could take as long as a year, but that the state medical board could choose to reconsider its action and impose a different penalty on Omulepu. (LINK)—4/24/2017
VIRGINIA OPTOMETRY BOARD RECORD—0618001577 LICENSE STATUS/DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—License active; no actions listed as of 10/30/2016
Police arrest Va. eye doctor accused of inappropriately touching female patient
LEESBURG, Va. (ABC7) — Police arrested an eye doctor Saturday after one of his patients accused him of inappropriately touching her during an exam in Leesburg in August.
According to Leesburg Police, Joseph Rosana, 35, of Sterling, Virginia was arrested on a a misdemeanor charge of Sexual Battery. Rosana was an optometrist at Visionworks at 1607 Village Market Boulevard when police where called for a report of Sexual Battery at that office on August 24.
Police then began an investigation that led to the arrest.
Rosana is no longer working for Visionworks.
Police are continuing to investigate to see if there were any other victims of Sexual Battery at that Visionworks location and are asking anyone with information on the case to call Detective Troxell at 703-771-4584. (LINK) — 10/29/2016
MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—MD21063 LICENSE STATUS/DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—License Inactive; more information from medical board at bottom of blog post
Samaritan Head Trauma Doctor Suspended
The Oregon Medical Board has opened an investigation of Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center physician Dr. Robert Allen Read, after receiving “credible information” about his actions. Read agreed to a Stipulated Interim Order, requiring him to withdraw from practicing medicine while the investigation is underway.
Read was formerly the head of trauma and acute care services at the Corvallis branch of Good Samaritan. Visible online through the Oregon Medical Board is a history of open stipulated orders, as well as a malpractice claim against Read.
In 2008, Read was involved in a malpractice claim involving a 28-week-pregnant patient who underwent a laparoscopic appendectomy at his hands. Allegedly, the doctor’s trocar entered the woman’s uterus, and the baby was born severely premature and disabled.
Read entered into a Stipulated Order in 2012 for “unprofessional or dishonorable conduct, and gross repeated negligence in the practice of medicine,” before being issued a Modifying Stipulated Order in 2014 which placed “certain conditions” on the doctor’s now inactive license.
Julie Manning, a vice president at Samaritan, said only that Read was no longer employed with GSRMC, and that they cooperated with the Medical Board’s investigation.
Kathleen Haley, Director of the Board, confirmed that Read’s license “is on inactive status pending completion of the Board’s investigation,” and said that they would make a more detailed statement when the investigation is complete.
“Our primary concern is patient safety,” said Haley. (LINK) — 10/28/2016
10/05/2016 Open Interim Stipulated Order On October 5, 2016, Licensee entered into an Interim Stipulated Order to voluntarily withdraw from practice and place his license in Inactive status pending the completion of the Board’s investigation into his ability to safely and competently practice medicine.
01/09/2014 Open Order Modifying Stipulated Order On January 9, 2014, the Board issued an Order Modifying Stipulated Order. This Order modifies Licensee’s October 11, 2012, Stipulated Order.
10/11/2012 Open Stipulated Order On October 11, 2012, Licensee entered into a Stipulated Order with the Board for unprofessional or dishonorable conduct, and gross or repeated negligence in the practice of medicine. This Order reprimands Licensee, fines Licensee $3,500, requires that an Oregon licensed surgeon assist Licensee in all complicated surgical procedures performed by Licensee, requires that Licensee’s practice location be pre-approved by the Board’s Medical Director, and requires that Licensee complete a health assessment at a facility pre-approved by the Board’s Medical Director.
01/06/2011 10/11/2012-Complaint and Notice The Board issued a Complaint and Notice of Proposed Disciplinary Action on January 6, 2011. This document alleges violations of the Medical Practice Act (state law).
DAPHNE, Ala. (WPMI) — A Daphne neurologist is at the center of a raid conducted by the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Agency. Federal agents raided the offices at the Eastern Shore Neurology and Pain Center on Highway 98 Friday.
The clinic was closed and no patients were there at the time.
At the same time agents were also raiding Dr. Tarabein’s home in Fairhope, where they removed some items.
“That’s all we know at this point that they came to get his records and review it. Unfortunately that’s the way the federal authorities do it. They do it with a search warrant, they don’t ask politely they just come in and get what they want to get and they want to review it. They will probably want to review it for the better part of the year that would be my expectation,” said Tarabein’s attorney John Beck.
Dr. Tarabein was not charged or taken into custody. However back in 2004 an administrative complaint was filed by the State Board of Medical Examiners related to the treatment eight patients. Dr. Tarabein’s license to practice medicine was suspended and later reinstated in 2007.
“For him it’s a shock and for me personally and anyone that knows him and knows how meticulous and careful he is in running his clinic,” said Beck.
FBI Agents Raid Eastern Shore Neurology And Pain Center In Daphne
DAPHNE, AL (WKRG) — The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted a raid operation at a pain clinic in Daphne on Friday morning.
Federal agents were seen raiding Eastern Shore Neurology and Pain Center, removing boxes and leaving with computer equipment. The clinic was closed, and no patients were there when the FBI conducted their operation.
The center is operated by Dr. Rassan Tarabein, a neurologist who received his medical training at the University of Damascus in Syria.
Federal agents also raided Tarabein’s home in Fairhope on Friday morning. He has not been arrested.
The FBI would not comment about the operation. It’s believed the raid could be part of an ongoing federal effort to crackdown on doctors who over prescribe narcotics.
As WKRG reported last year, the FBI raided Physician’s Pain Specialists of Alabama (PPSA) in Mobile, one of the largest pain clinics in the state.
The raid was part of “Operation Pillution,” an expansive, multi-state effort to investigate large pain centers accused of excessive prescription practices.
Dr. John Patrick Couch and Dr. Xiulu Ruan of PPSA were arrested and charged for “dangerous” painkiller prescribing practices. Couch and Ruan were charged with the deaths of four people in connection to their practice.
As for Tarabein, this is not the first time he’s had troubles.
In July 2004, an Administrative Complaint was filed by the Alabama State Board of Medical Examiners related to the treatment eight patients.
After a hearing before the Medical License Commission, Tarabein entered into a consent decree by which he admitted to:
Immoral, unprofessional or dishonorable conduct
Practiced medicine in a manner as to endanger the health of patients
Prescribing medication for reasons other than a legitimate medical need
Prescribed excessive pain medications
Ordered excessive epidural blocks
Prescribed excessive narcotics
Prescribed excessive doses of Lortab, Percocet, Percodan or Tylox
Ordered unnecessary tests
Prescribing Lortab and Demoral without any attempt to discover the cause of Patients pain
Tarabein was officially reprimanded and his license to practice medicine was suspended. That suspension was stayed and he was placed on two years probation.
On Jan. 30, 2007, the probation on his medical license was lifted. Since then, he has had an unrestricted license to practice medicine.
This is a developing story. We’ll have more on News 5 at Noon. (LINK) — 10/28/2016
MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—33456 LICENSE STATUS/DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—License Active; see board website for multiple action documents. 2009 document
Lexington doctor faces 20 years for repeatedly giving drug to woman with whom he was involved
A Lexington doctor, James Randall Long, has pleaded guilty to unlawful distribution of fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance.
Long, 56, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge David Cayer on Monday. He was released on bond. He faces a maximum prison term of 20 years and a $1 million fine.
Long formally pleaded guilty to distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl by an authorized registrant outside the scope of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose.
According to the N.C. Medical Board, it appears Long still has his medical license in internal medicine.
Long admitted during a hearing in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina that he prescribed the drug outside the scope of his professional practice to a woman with whom he was romantically involved. He said he knew she was abusing the drug to further her addiction to opiates.
Fentanyl is a powerful opioid drug typically prescribed by doctors to help patients manage chronic pain symptoms. People addicted to opiates often turn to fentanyl for its intense euphoric effects and commonly rely on the drug as a substitute for heroin.
Fentanyl is significantly more potent than heroin with potentially fatal side effects.
“Dr. Long admitted he abused the public trust placed in him as a physician authorized to dispense controlled substances and misused his medical license to prescribe a potentially lethal drug to a woman he knew had a substance abuse problem,” said Jill Westmoreland Rose, a U.S. attorney.
“From the street corner to a doctor’s office, anyone who distributes these potentially deadly substances poses a significant threat to public health safety and is subject to investigation and prosecution,” Westmoreland Rose said.
According to court records and filed plea documents, Long said he met the woman in 2014. He provided fentanyl to her through July 2015 outside the scope of his professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose.
Long also admitted that he wrote and authorized fentanyl prescriptions in the name of several other individuals, some of whom were not his patients and did not know prescriptions were being filled in their name.
It’s not the first time that Long has faced legal consequences for his medical practices.
In October 2004, Long had his medical license actively suspended for 30 days — which covered the period of January 2005 — by the N.C. Medical Board based on allegations he had a consensual sexual affair with a patient and wrote her undocumented prescriptions for painkillers. He was suspended for an entire year, but the suspension was stayed for all but 30 days.
The patient initially was a nursing student who became a nurse at Lexington Memorial Hospital. The nurse was fired from the hospital in June 2003 because an investigation determined she had diverted drugs to her personal use and had tested positive for opiates.
At that time, Long was required to enroll with the state’s Physicians Health Program, which works to rehabilitate doctors.
In March 2008, according to a medical board consent order, Long pleaded guilty to a federal misdemeanor charge of intercepting radio communications with a “dreambox,” a device used to steal encrypted Dish Network satellite television signals, selling the signals through the dreamboxes in violation of federal law.
Long was reprimanded by the medical board and put on probation for a year, but it did not affect his medical license. (LINK) — 10/26/2016
MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—20A 4148 LICENSE STATUS/DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—License renewed & current; Public reprimand; Probation completed; Disciplined by other State/Federal Government
Physician faces negligence accusations from state
YUCCA VALLEY — Dr. Howard Levy is accused of multiple acts of negligence in a complaint filed with the state Osteopathic Medical Board Friday.
In a case referring to seven patients and one undercover investigator, the board alleges Levy kept unreadable and incomplete records and used treatments that did not appear to be medically indicated.
Levy has not been convicted, and his attorney, Jeffrey Keane, said his next step will be to ask the medical board for all of its copies of Levy’s records and evidence against the doctor.
“Sometimes the medical records themselves don’t support the medical board’s contention,” Keane said.
This is not the first time Levy has been accused by a medical board. He formerly practiced in Detroit, and in 2003, the Michigan Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery suspended his medical license. Michigan records indicate he was placed on probation three times and fined four times between 1996 and 2003, when his license was suspended for a criminal conviction. That conviction was fraudulent billing, according to California records.
In the current case, Levy is accused of repeated acts of negligence along with prescribing or furnishing dangerous drugs and controlled substances without appropriately examining his patients and keeping inadequate and inaccurate medical records.
The medical board’s executive director filed the complaint, detailing her allegations in the treatment of seven patients, identified by their initials.
Levy is accused of keeping illegible and incomplete records for each of the patients. He often used fill-in-the-blank forms, but did not fill in the blanks, or did not fill them in completely or legibly, the accusation states.
For one patient, identified as SG, the board alleges Levy maintained two sets of medical records. The first, made while he was treating SG, had “minimal data” about the patient’s history, symptoms and exams.
The second set of records Levy provided is much different, according to the board. It includes additional history and exam findings. They appear to have been entered after SG’s hospitalization and eventual death, but they are not marked as late entries, according to the board.
The osteopathic board also sent an undercover investigator, identified as TT, to Levy’s office in 2014 to pose as a new patient complaining of menstrual cramps. She reported he gave her prescriptions for two narcotics, Norco and Percocet, along with a diuretic, but never requested her prior medical records or performed a physical exam.
Injections and drug prescriptions
Other allegations in the complaint include the following:
• Patient IN, an employee who worked for Levy beginning in 2009: Levy is accused of giving her vitamins and drugs intravenously, but without sufficient documentation of why that was necessary.
• Patient AS, whom he treated from 2010 to 2015: The medical board alleges Levy prescribed high doses of methadone while she was taking several other medications that could make the methadone less effective.
• Patient LW, who suffered from chronic back pain due to a work injury: Levy gave her more than 50 epidural injections over almost five years, although imaging tests did not show a reason those would be effective and his notes were not specific, the board alleges.
• Patient EM: The board alleges Levy prescribed both a potent narcotic and a sedative over a long period of time without adequate reassessments.
• Patient DP: The board accuses Levy of injecting vitamins, steroids and analgesics into DP’s veins and musculature as a treatment for headaches without a clear medical indication or lab tests.
• Patient MW: She had chronic pain and fybromalgia [sic] when Levy started treating her in 2012. He rarely, if ever, performed a relevant physical exam, the board alleges. He treated her with the opioids hydrocodone and tramadol, the muscle relaxant Soma and the antidepressants Cymbalta and Amitriptyline but never evaluated their effect on the patient, according to the accusation.
Previous probation for illegible notes
Angelina Burton, executive director of the Osteopathic Medical Board, points out that California issued Levy a letter of reprimand in 2005 because his license was suspended in Michigan due to fraudulent billing.
Also, on March 17, 2008, he was placed on probation for five years for keeping poor and illegible notes.
In the 2008 case, Levy was accused of repeated negligence in his treatment of a Yucca Valley man in his 80s, PK, in 2005. The medical board’s executive director alleged that Levy injected PK with hydrogen peroxide, an experimental treatment, without getting his informed consent and diagnosed and treated him with interstitial fibrosis, or scarring of the lungs, without evidence to support that diagnosis.
But the administrative judge hearing the case found that the expert witness called to testify against Levy was not an expert on lung disease himself, and was testifying beyond his expertise. None of the experts called was qualified to say that Levy misdiagnosed PK or gave him a treatment without the proper training.
In addition, Levy showed that he had used X-rays and a biopsy to confirm his diagnosis.
That defense might come up in Levy’s new hearing. Attorney Jeffrey Keane would not comment on this case specifically, but said in his experience, a case can come down to conflicting experts.
“Sometimes the medical board has retained an expert who has misevaluated the medical records,” Keane said in a phone interview.
“Sometimes the opinions of the medical board experts … is inaccurate.”
For his treatment of PK, Levy was found culpable only of poor note taking. He was charged $15,000 and ordered to enroll in a record-keeping course, which he completed.
Keane said he expects the next step in the current hearing, disclosure of evidence to take 60 to 100 days. (LINK) — 10/26/2016
MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—11388 LICENSE STATUS/DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—License Surrendered; Suspended
County Shrink Busted for Coercing Sex From Patients
Sheriffs ID Three Alleged Victims, Search for More
It turns out Santa Barbara County’s Alcohol Drug and Mental Health Services department might have more than just budget problems. Sheriff’s detectives arrested a former clinical psychologist employed by the department on November 9 on allegations that he sexually assaulted at least two patients, with the possibility that there may be a third victim.
According to Sgt. Erik Raney, detectives were first told about the 65-year-old doctor’s alleged behavior by a 44-year-old female on October 25. The woman, currently in County Jail on theft-related charges, contacted Jail Mental Health Services and said that the doctor had coerced her into a sexual relationship three years ago by threatening to have her put back in jail if she didn’t give in to his demands. The woman was the doctor’s patient three years ago at the county’s ADMHS department on Foster Road in Santa Maria. “According to the victim, she felt she had no choice but to comply, for fear of being sent back to jail,” Raney said in a news release. “She told detectives she was raped at the doctor’s office, as well as the victim’s home in Santa Maria,” and it continued for more than three years.
While investigating the woman’s allegations, another former patient with similar allegations was found. She told detectives she was propositioned for sex and physically accosted by the man, Raney said.
In addition, a third woman has come forward who authorities believe may also be a victim, and they believe there may be more. “It is apparent that [the doctor] has targeted Hispanic females with past abuse, mental health issues, and questionable legal status in the United States,” Raney said. “These victims are primarily afraid of reporting [the doctor] in fear of not being believed, being sent to jail, or deported.” All of the alleged victims are Spanish speakers only.
Authorities arrested the man at his Orcutt home, after hearing the allegations and gathering information and evidence. He was booked into County Jail on charges of rape while in a position of authority. He posted $100,000 bail and is awaiting his first court appearance. (LINK) — 11/15/2007
Former County Shrink Arrested on Sexual Misconduct Charges
Sheriff’s detectives on 11/9 arrested Dr. Fernando Cordero, a psychologist formerly employed by the county’s Alcohol, Drug & Mental Health Services department for allegedly sexually assaulting two patients, and possibly a third as well. “It is apparent that [the doctor] has targeted Hispanic females with past abuse, mental health issues, and questionable legal status in the U.S.,” said Sheriff’s spokesperson Sgt. Erik Raney. Cordero is currently out on $100,000 bail, awaiting trial. (LINK) — 11/21/2007
Cordero To Stand Trial for 12 Felonies
On 1/7, a Santa Barbara County judge ruled that former Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Services psychologist Fernando Cordero will stand trial on 12 felony charges and two misdemeanor charges in connection with alleged sexual abuse of seven patients and a college student whom Cordero allegedly met while teaching at Santa Maria’s Hancock College. Cordero, 65, remains in jail on $1.1 million bail. (LINK) — 1/10/2008
Lurid testimony opens doctor/s rape trial
A Santa Barbara County psychologist/s trial on rape and other charges began Monday with lurid descriptions of 11 separate incidents of alleged sexual abuse, followed by a first-person retelling of maltreatment by one of the alleged victims.
Dr. Fernando Cordero, 66, is accused of sexually abusing or attempting to abuse seven women whom he met in the course of his work as a clinical psychologist with the county, and as an instructor at Hancock College.
Chief Trial Deputy Ann Bramsen, in her opening statement, told jurors in Santa Barbara County Superior Court in Santa Maria that Cordero Babused many women over many years.C
The first alleged victim to come forward in the case, a woman in her mid-40s identified in court as M.E.F. to protect her privacy, was the first witness in the case.
Her testimony indicated that she was the victim of rape, sodomy and oral copulation over the course of three years at four separate locations.
M.E.F. testified that she began seeing Cordero as a counselor in April 2003 as part of court-ordered treatment for stealing. After two more arrests for theft, Cordero assisted the woman in obtaining electronic monitoring instead of time in jail.
He drove M.E.F. home, plugged in the device, and then said it was Btime he received a reward from me,C M.E.F. said on the witness stand through an interpreter.
From the first recounting of sodomy and the following years of sexual abuse, M.E.F. repeatedly told the court, BI had no alternative.C
BThe main thing was that no one would believe me because of my priors (convictions) that I had, and because he always told me he had the power,C M.E.F. said.
She added that Cordero told her he could send her to prison or get her locked up indefinitely in a mental hospital away from her children if she did not submit to his sexual demands.
M.E.F. testified that the sexual abuse occurred at her home and in Cordero/s office at the county mental health building on Foster Road in Santa Maria.
The abuse continued when Cordero was moved to an office in the Santa Maria courthouse on Cook Street in 2007 to work in the Justice Alliance program, where he assessed the mental health of criminal suspects and reported his findings to a judge, according to Bramsen.
Several times M.E.F. got teary-eyed, but she sobbed as she recounted a particularly humiliating experience involving sodomy with a foreign object and a video camera at Cordero/s private office on S. Broadway, which he leased while working at the courthouse.
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It was not until M.E.F. was arrested again for theft in September 2007 that she told a social worker of the abuse.
Cordero was arrested Nov. 9, 2007, following a taped conversation with the alleged victim. County sheriff/s detectives later discovered a camera card with a deleted and incriminating video during a search of his desk, according to Bramsen.
Scott Wippert, Cordero/s attorney, told the jury in his opening statement that his client is innocent, and the victim of false statements by a group of mentally ill women.
Rather than abusing M.E.F., Cordero did everything in his power to help her, Wippert said.
He alleged that M.E.F. was facing six years in prison and possible deportation, and that she did anything she could to get out of serving time.
BDr. Cordero has been a professional psychologist for 17 years; he is a professor, and has devoted his life to helping people,C Wippert told the jury. BThis case is about credibility. Your job is to determine whether to believe women with serious mental illnesses.C
Cordero has been placed on administrative leave from his job with the county’s Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Services Department. He also has been banned from practicing psychology.
In all, Cordero is facing the following felony charges: three counts rape by use of force and duress and under color of authority; one count of forcible rape; one count of sodomy by use of force and duress and under color of authority; one count of sexual penetration by foreign object by use of force and duress and under color of authority; one count of oral copulation by use of duress and under color of authority; one count of sexual battery by restraint; one count of sexual exploitation by a psychotherapist or drug abuse counselor, and two counts of dissuading a witness from reporting a crime.
He also faces two misdemeanor counts of attempted sexual exploitation by a psychotherapist or drug abuse counselor.
Cordero is also charged with dissuading a witness, a felony, while he was out of custody on bail.
He will be back in court Thursday at 9:30 a.m., when Wippert will have the opportunity to cross-examine M.E.F.
Judge James Iwasko is presiding over the case. (LINK) — 03/31/2009
Verdicts mixed for doctor in sex abuse trial
A Santa Barbara County psychologist was acquitted Friday of several felony charges of sexually abusing or trying to sexually abuse women whom he met in the course of his work as a clinical psychologist with Santa Barbara County, and as an instructor at Hancock College.
However, Dr. Fernando Cordero, 66, was convicted on four felony counts 8 two of which were for attempting to dissuade a witness from reporting a crime after he had been released on bail following his arrest
A Superior Court jury in Santa Maria found Cordero guilty of sexual battery by restraint, which will require him to register as a sex offender, and sexual exploitation by a psychotherapist, according to Chief Trial Deputy Ann Bramsen.
The judge will have the possibility of sentencing Cordero to anything from probation to state prison, Bramsen said.
Cordero was charged with rape and other crimes stemming from 11 separate incidents of alleged sexual abuse.
He was accused of presenting himself as an authority figure to the victims, most of whom were receiving his counseling for mental health issues. He sometimes engaged in sexual activity with the women at his places of work, according to prosecutors.
The jury found him not guilty of sodomizing and raping two patients.
On four counts of sexual abuse, the jury could not reach consensus on a verdict, leaving those issues open for a retrial, Bramsen said.
Cordero, who remained in custody Friday, will not be sentenced until it is decided if he will be retried on those counts, she said.
Upon hearing the verdicts, two of the alleged victims became visibly upset, and one told Cordero, BYou?re going to stay in jail forever.C
Judge James Iwasko commended the five women and seven men of the jury, saying, BI think the jurors almost always get it right.C
Cordero was arrested Nov. 9, 2007, following a taped conversation with an alleged victim. County sheriff’s detectives later discovered a camera card with a deleted and incriminating video during a search of his desk, according to Bramsen.
Cordero was tried on the following felony charges: three counts rape by use of force and duress and under color of authority; one count of forcible rape; one count of sodomy by use of force and duress and under color of authority; one count of sexual penetration by foreign object by use of force and duress and under color of authority; one count of oral copulation by use of duress and under color of authority; one count of sexual battery by restraint; one count of sexual exploitation by a psychotherapist or drug abuse counselor, and two counts of dissuading a witness from reporting a crime.
Cordero has been on administrative leave from his job with Santa Barbara County’s Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Services department. (LINK) — 4/25/2009
Police are searching for a Dublin doctor who they say sexually battered two men at his home and took hundreds of photographs of 19 patients who were unconscious and undressed at his medical clinic.
Dr. Tony Shiu, who ran a private practice in Dublin, is being sought on a $1 million warrant. He disappeared after the warrant was issued early last month, and police believe he has left the Bay Area.
The doctor allegedly drugged two men at his Dublin residence in August and then raped one of them, Dublin police Sgt. Herb Walters said.
A search of his home turned up about 450 photos of 19 male patients who were unconscious and semi-nude in medical examination rooms, Walters said.
Police have been unable to contact Shiu through his cell phone, and family members have said they don’t know his whereabouts, Walters said.
Shiu graduated in 1994 from UC Davis School of Medicine and served his residency at Kaiser Hospital in Oakland, according to public records. Before starting his private practice about three years ago, Shiu worked at a ValleyCare clinic in Livermore, Walters said.
The doctor came under suspicion after the two alleged victims reported to police that Shiu had drugged them as they visited his home on Aug. 18. One of the men had known Shiu for years; the other met him that night.
The men said they met Shiu at his home and planned to meet other friends in Oakland and Emeryville for a night out in San Francisco. They each had two alcoholic drinks shortly after arriving at the house and then lost recollection of the rest of the night, Walters said.
“Witnesses told us that they made it to Oakland and Emeryville, but that the two men were too far out of it to continue to San Francisco,” Walters said.
It is believed that Shiu drove them back to his residence at that time, Walters said.
After waking up the next morning with no memory of the previous evening, the men became suspicious and had themselves examined at a local hospital. They tested positive for benzodiazepine, a drug commonly prescribed for anxiety and whose side effects include memory impairment, confusion and lightheadedness, Walters said.
Police ordered further tests, which showed that one of the men had been raped, Walters said.
Police obtained search warrants for Shiu’s home and found digital photos of the 19 men who were in examination rooms, believed to be at Shiu’s clinic and possibly another location, Walters said.
Two of the men have been positively identified.
“You can imagine how shocked they were when we showed them naked pictures of themselves,” Walters said.
No other alleged victims have come forward, he said. (LINK) — 11/07/2006
Dublin doctor accused of rape is arrested
A Dublin doctor accused of sexually battering two men at his home and taking hundreds of photographs of 19 patients who were unconscious and undressed at his medical clinic was arrested Thursday, authorities said.
Dr. Tony G. Shiu, 39, who ran a practice in Dublin, was deported from Taiwan and arrested about 9:30 a.m. when he arrived on a flight at San Francisco International Airport.
Shiu is scheduled to be arraigned today in Alameda County Superior Court in Pleasanton on charges of sexual battery of a patient, sodomy of a drugged victim and penetration with a foreign object of a drugged victim. He is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin.
The Medical Board of California revoked Shiu’s license to practice medicine in July.
The doctor allegedly drugged two men at his Dublin residence in August 2006 and raped one of them, police said. A search of his home turned up about 450 photos of 19 male patients who were unconscious and semi-nude in medical examination rooms, police said.
Shiu graduated in 1994 from UC Davis School of Medicine and served his residency at Kaiser Hospital in Oakland, according to public records. Before starting his own practice about three years ago, Shiu worked at Valley Care clinic in Livermore, authorities said.
The doctor came under suspicion after the two alleged victims reported to police that Shiu had drugged them when they visited his home Aug. 18, 2006. One of the men had known Shiu for years, while the other met him that night.
After waking up the next morning with no memory of the previous evening, the men became suspicious and had themselves examined at a local hospital. They tested positive for benzodiazepine, a drug commonly prescribed for anxiety and whose side effects include memory impairment, confusion and lightheadedness, police said.
Police ordered further tests, which showed that one of the men had been raped, authorities said.
Authorities believe Shiu fled the country and ended up in Taiwan. Investigators learned of his whereabouts and he was deported. (LINK) — 5/30/2008
Dublin doctor admits to sex crimes
A Dublin doctor has pleaded no contest to sexually battering four men and a teenager, some of whom were his patients, attorneys in the case said Friday.
Against his attorney’s advice, Dr. Tony G. Shiu, 40, entered the pleas Thursday before Judge Henry Ramsey Jr. of Alameda County Superior Court.
“The pleas were over my strenuous objection,” said Shiu’s attorney, Todd Bequette.
“His statement to the judge indicated that his decision was religiously motivated,” and that he wanted to “take a religious leap of faith,” Bequette said.
Shiu will be sentenced July 1 at the Hayward Hall of Justice on three counts of felony sexual battery, one misdemeanor count of sexual battery, one count of lewd and lascivious conduct on a minor, two counts of administering a controlled substance and two counts of poisoning.
The doctor came under suspicion after two men reported to police that Shiu had drugged them when they visited his home Aug. 18, 2006. One of the men had known Shiu for years, while the other had met him that night.
After waking up with no memory of the previous evening, the men became suspicious and had themselves examined at a hospital. They tested positive for benzodiazepine, a drug commonly prescribed for anxiety and whose side effects include memory impairment, confusion and lightheadedness.
Police ordered further tests, which showed that one of the men had been raped, authorities said.
A search of Shiu’s home turned up about 450 photos of 19 male patients who were unconscious and seminude in medical examination rooms, police said. More alleged victims came forward during the investigation.
“It was extremely traumatizing,” said Deputy District Attorney Danielle Hilton. “It was an extreme betrayal of trust.”
The Medical Board of California revoked Shiu’s medical license in July 2007. He left for Taiwan, which deported him last May. Shiu was arrested when he landed at San Francisco International Airport. (LINK) — 05/16/2009
Ex-Dublin doctor gets 7 years for sex crimes
A former doctor, Tony G. Shiu, 41, from Dublin was sentenced to more than seven years in prison for sexually battering four men and a teenager, some of whom were his patients.
A former doctor from Dublin was sentenced Wednesday to more than seven years in prison for sexually battering four men and a teenager, some of whom were his patients.
Tony G. Shiu, 41, was ordered by Judge Henry Ramsey Jr. of Alameda County Superior Court to serve seven years and four months in prison. Against his attorney’s advice, Shiu pleaded no contest in May and told Ramsey that his decision was religiously motivated.
“Although viewed by some as lenient, the sentence reflects Dr. Shiu’s extreme remorse and his years of service to the community,” said Shiu’s attorney, Todd Bequette.
The doctor came under suspicion after two men reported to police that Shiu had drugged them when they visited his home Aug. 18, 2006. One of the men had known Shiu for years, while the other had met him that night.
After waking up with no memory of the previous evening, the men became suspicious and had themselves examined at a hospital. They tested positive for benzodiazepine, a drug commonly prescribed for anxiety. Side effects include memory impairment, confusion and lightheadedness.
Police ordered further tests, which showed that one of the men had been raped, authorities said.
A search of Shiu’s home turned up about 450 photos of 19 male patients who were unconscious and seminude in medical examination rooms, police said. More alleged victims came forward during the investigation.
Shiu was convicted of three counts of felony sexual battery, one misdemeanor count of sexual battery, one count of lewd and lascivious conduct on a minor, two counts of administering a controlled substance and two counts of poisoning.
The Medical Board of California revoked Shiu’s medical license in July 2007. He left for Taiwan, which deported him in May 2008. Shiu was arrested when he landed at San Francisco International Airport. (LINK) — 7/02/2009
NEW YORK MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—183330 LICENSE STATUS/DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—License active; See actions at the bottom of this blog
New York doctor indicted on 114 counts of providing painkillers without legitimate medical reasons
A Buffalo-area doctor is accused of issuing over 300,000 illegal painkiller prescriptions over four years, officials said Tuesday.
A grand jury indicted Williamsville physician Dr. Eugene Gosy on 114 charges in a conspiracy to provide medications like oxycodone, morphine and amphetamine without legitimate medical reasons. Law enforcement officials announced the charges Tuesday, months after raiding Gosy’s office and filing to seize his Ferrari and his Ford GT, The Buffalo News reported.
“He was the No. 1 prescriber in New York,” John Flickinger, resident agent in charge of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration’s Buffalo office, said at a news conference. “Dr. Gosy wrote more prescriptions than one of the largest hospitals in New York City.”
The 27-page indictment alleges Gosy prescribed the medications while out of the country, ignored his training requirements and even signed blank prescriptions allowing patients to enter their names, medications and dosages. Authorities estimate Gosy’s false claims were worth over $241,000.
“Dr. Gosy let his patients down, he let his employees down, and he let the community down,” said Holly Hubert, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s Buffalo office.
A typed message posted outside Gosy & Associates Pain & Neurology Treatment Center Tuesday alerted patients practice was closed Tuesday due to an “emergency,” WKBW-TV reported. The practice’s website showed a statement Tuesday night instructing patients with an appointment to reschedule next week.
“At this time we are uncertain when the office plans to see patients,” the message said. “If you have an appointment scheduled for Wednesday 4/27/16 your appointment is cancelled.”
Gosy, a neurologist who has practiced for over 20 years, opened his own practice in 1999, according to his bio. He graduated from the Semmelweiss Medical University in Hungary and completed his residency at the Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital in Williamsville and the State University of New York at Buffalo.
“Importantly, the evidence will clearly show that all scripts written for Dr. Gosy’s patients were for legitimate medical purposes,” Gosy’s lawyer, Joel Daniels, told the Buffalo News. “We’re confident that, after hearing all of the evidence, a jury will agree that Dr. Gosy did nothing wrong.”
Investigators expect Gosy to turn himself in Wednesday, according to the TV station. His charges carry up to 20 years behind bars and a $1 million fine if he’s convicted. (LINK) — 4/06/2016
Dr. Gosy released on bail, keeps medical license
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB)- A Clarence doctor indicted on 114-counts for illegally prescribing narcotics was released on $250,000 bail Wednesday.
Dr. Eugene Gosy’s attorney fought to keep his medical license, but the physician’s DEA registration was revoked, which means he can no longer write scripts for schedule two, three, four, and five Narcotics.
Dr. Gosy runs a large pain treatment center in Williamsville; he’s got more than 10,000 patients, and most of them are on those types of drugs.
The doors were closed at the clinic Wednesday after the U.S. Attorney’s office announced the charges. There was a sign on the door that said the clinic will be closing due to an emergency.
The next day, the clinic’s website stated it will re-open Thursday.
Nurse practitioners are on staff to assist patients with their script needs, but the long term, Gosy’s attorney said, is not certain.
News 4 has spoken to several of Gosy’s patients. Most are shocked by the allegations, which include unlawfully prescribing Narcotics for no legitimate medical need, and telling staff to forge his signature on scripts.
His patients are also worried about how they’ll get their scripts filled down the road.
Inez Clemons, one of his patients, said she was cut off her morphine supply cold turkey last week.
She showed up for an appointment Wednesday, to find the clinic locked. She told News 4 she never got a call.
“My husband has stayed home from work for the past five days, my friend flew up from North Carolina to to sit with me to make sure I didn’t commit suicide,” said Clemons.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office compared Dr. Gosy’s clinic to a 19th century opium den, but Gosy’s attorney Joel Daniels told News 4 his client has done nothing wrong.
“When you send a hunter into the woods to look for a bear, sooner or later, you find a bear,” he said.
Dr. Gosy’s office was raided by federal investigators in 2014. The U.S. Attorney’s office alleges the crimes began as early as 2006.
“We will show without any question, that every script that the government’s talking about in their 27-page 114-count indictment was issued for a legitimate medical purpose and I tell you that every chart will back that up,” Daniels told News 4.
Gosy is the 6th area doctor to be charged for over-prescribing narcotics.
His medical license will be reviewed by the Office of Professional Medical Conduct. He is currently still allowed to perform nerve blocks and practice neurology, for which he is board certified.
Dr. Gosy’s office will reopen on May 16. The office posted the following statement on their Facebook page April 30th,
“The office will be temporarily closed for two weeks; appointments will resume Monday May 16th, 2016. We are working diligently to be able to provide our patients with answers to all of their questions and concerns.
Patients needing any assistance in the meantime should refer to their Primary Care Physician. If your appointment was cancelled for the following two weeks, our office will contact you to reschedule.
Gosy & Associates would like to say thank you for the continued support of our office staff, patients and the community. Dr. Gosy and his staff are aware of your needs and apologize for any inconveniences the current position our practice has been placed in may have caused you.
Thank you for your continued understanding and patience during this time.” (LINK) — 4/27/2016
Medical Board Actions
Action: Amended interim non-disciplinary order of conditions precluding the physician from practicing medicine in New York State with the exception of the practice of neurology and precluding the prescribing of controlled substances during the practice of neurology until the conclusion of the pending criminal proceeding instituted by the United States Attorney’s Office. The physician will be permitted to provide recommendations regarding the prescribing of controlled substances to an independent physician, who will then determine the appropriateness of the recommendations. This amended interim order of conditions supersedes the interim order of conditions dated May 13, 2016.
Misconduct Description:This action is not disciplinary in nature.
License Restrictions:The physician is precluded from practicing medicine in New York State with the exception of the practice of neurology and precluding the prescibing [sic] of controlled substances during the practice of neurology until the conclusion of the pending criminal proceeding instituted by the United States Attorney’s Office. The physician will be permitted to provide recommendations regarding the prescribing of controlled substance to an independent physician; who will then determine the appropriateness of the recommendations.
NEW YORK MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—131839 LICENSE STATUS/DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—License Revoked
Queens ex-doctor stockpiled 1.5M amphetamine pills and prescribed the drugs to patient who died using them
A disgraced ex-doctor from Queens was busted Wednesday for pushing diet pills in an operation that outlasted his medical license, prosecutors said.
Steven Bernhard, 66, even sold amphetamines to a 65-year-old female heart patient who died while taking the dangerous drugs, the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget Brennan said.
Bernhard, whose license was revoked in February 2013, stockpiled pills from a wholesale distributor that was unaware that New York State had pulled his license.
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Michael Sonberg set bail for Bernhard at $150,000 at the former physician’s arraignment.
Records show he purchased 1.5 million amphetamine pills between 2013 and 2015, according to prosecutors.
Bernhard’s license was yanked after the State Board for Professional Medical Conduct found him guilty of a slew of charges, including gross negligence, incompetence and inappropriate prescribing of controlled substances.
“Steven Bernhard’s indictment demonstrates that the process we rely upon to regulate bad doctors is not infallible,” Brennan said.
Prosecutors said he continued to see patients without a license and investigators recovered 60,000 pills and patient records from his Bayside office.
He also hooked up family members with illegal narcotics prescriptions for painkillers like Vicodin and Percocet.
“His medical license was revoked, but he was still able to obtain millions of pills and prescribe dangerous narcotics, allegedly endangering the health and well-being of his patients,” Brennan said.
Bernhard is charged with unauthorized practice of medicine, reckless endangerment and fraud and deceit related to controlled substances.
He pleaded not guilty. His attorney said Bernhard thought his license loss was under appeal and that he was allowed to practice medicine. (LINK) — 08/17/2016
Former doctor from Bayside admits to illegally selling dangerous diet pills
A former Bayside physician could be spending a year in jail after admitting on Tuesday to illegally selling diet pills to clients even after his medical license had been revoked, prosecutors announced.
Steven Bernhard, 66, of 213th Street was arrested last August as a result of a lengthy investigation by the New York City Special Narcotics Prosecutor’s office. He pleaded guilty on Jan. 10 to charges of criminal sale of a controlled substance, unauthorized practice of medicine and reckless endangerment.
Law enforcement sources said Bernhard, who received a license to practice medicine in 1977, operated an osteopathic medical practice out of an office located at 39-21 Bell Blvd. in Bayside. His license was revoked in 2013 due to professional misconduct, including over-prescribing medication to clients.
Even so, prosecutors noted, Bernhard continued to see patients out of his Bell Boulevard office and sell them medications including amphetamine diet pills. Among the patients he sold such medication to was a 65-year-old woman with a history of heart issues; in March of 2015, Bernhard provided her with a larger than usual supply of phendimetrazine diet pills. Weeks later, the woman suffered a fatal heart attack while visiting with family members in Florida.
More than 60,000 amphetamine pills and thousands of patient records were seized by investigators during a court-authorized search of Bernhard’s office in 2015. A hard copy of his medical license, which Bernhard had retained even though it had been revoked in order to continue ordering controlled substances from a pharmaceutical wholesaler, was also recovered.
Detectives determined that Bernhard had ordered 1.5 million amphetamine pills from the wholesaler between January 2013 and March 2015. He was also found to have illegally written more than 20 prescriptions to family members for painkillers such as Vicodin and Percocet.
Bernhard is scheduled to be sentenced in March. (LINK) — 1/10/2017
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