MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—5101013173 LICENSE STATUS/DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—Disciplinary Limited; see Medical Board Actions at the bottom of this blog post
Greenville doctor’s office raided
GREENVILLE, Mich. (The Daily News)- Numerous law enforcement agencies executed a federal search warrant at the office of Dr. Dean Ruble in downtown Greenville today.
The Central Michigan Enforcement Team (CMET) is leading the case and arrived at 420 S. Lafayette St. just after 1 p.m.
Also responding to the scene were Blue Cross Blue Shield, Drug Enforcement Administration, Grand Rapids Police Department, Greenville Department of Public Safety, Michigan Bureau of Health Professionals, Michigan State Police, Montcalm County Sheriff’s Office and the Office of the Inspector General from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Michigan State Police Det. Sgt. Joel Abendroth is acting team leader. He said the agencies will remain on the scene for several more hours continuing to seize evidence. (LINK) — 9/14/2010
Greenville doctor investigated for possible drug violations
GREENVILLE, Mich. (WZZM) - New information is out about the Greenville doctor whose office was raided by a drug enforcement team Tuesday. It turns out Dr. Dean Ruble has a history of problems and illegal activity. A task force of several state and federal agencies, including the DEA, raided Ruble’s Greenville pain clinic Tuesday after a year long investigation.
Authorities say they spent roughly five hours confiscating tons of documents looking for evidence that Ruble may have illegally prescribed drugs to patients.
One of the DEA agents involved in the investigation says Ruble has been on their radar for some time for possible drug violations in the past.
The doctor temporarily lost his license in 2004 for failing to comply with a monitoring agreement after being cited for having a possible substance abuse problem.
“In order to reactivate his license he had to apply for reinstatement. He applied for reinstatement of his license and his license was granted in November 2007 with a one year probation,” said James McCurtis, Public Information Officer for the Michigan Department of Community Health.
Authorities say during that time two patients filled prescriptions issued by Ruble. If true, it was a violation of his 2008 agreement with the DEA that he was not supposed to administer or dispense any controlled substances including samples. During Tuesday’s raid authorities were looking for proof he did.
Right now Ruble is wanted on outstanding warrants for two separate drunk driving offenses. Police are asking anyone who knows his whereabouts to call CMET at (800) 342-6738 or Silent Observer at (616) 454-9110. (LINK) — 9/15/2010
Dr. Dean Ruble found in Flint area; currently in Montcalm County Jail
MONTCALM COUNTY, Mich. (WZZM) -The Greenville doctor suspected of illegally prescribing drugs to patients was found in Flint late Friday night and is currently lodged in the Montcalm County jail.
Todd Klein of Call Carol Bail Bonds in Greenville, tracked Ruble to a motel in Flint between 10:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. Friday. Ruble was wanted on two separate outstanding warrants for drunk driving offenses.
Klein says Call Carol Bail Bonds posted a $7,000.00 bond for one of those offenses. Ruble was taken to the Montcalm County jail early Saturday morning, and according to jail staff Ruble is currently lodged there.
Ruble is also under investigaton by state and federal agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration. Ruble’s pain clinic was raided earlier this week after a year long investigation.
Authorities spent five hours looking for documents or evidence that Ruble illegally prescribed drugs to his patients.
A D-E-A agent told WZZM 13 Ruble has been on their radar for possible drug violations in the past year. In 2004, Dr. Ruble’s license was revoked for failing to comply with a monitoring agreement after being citied for having a possible substance abuse problem.
Authorities say during that time two patients filled prescriptions issued by Ruble. Ruble’s medical license was reinstated in 2007, but according to an agreement with the D-E-A Ruble was not supposed to administer or dispense any controlled subtances including samples.
During last week’s raid authorities were looking for proof Ruble violated that agreement. (LINK) — 9/18/2010
Records show Greenville doctor allegedly prescribed painkillers without cause to undercover cop, informants
MONTCALM COUNTY – A Greenville doctor accused of felony drunken driving has allegedly doled out prescription painkillers without cause to an undercover cop and confidential informants, federal court records show.
Authorities raidedDr. Dean Ruble’s pain clinic practice at 420 S. Lafayette St. in September, continuing a year-long investigation of the doctor’s alleged practice of trading prescriptions for cash.
Ruble, investigators say in a recently unsealed search warrant affidavit, never performed physical exams or consulted a patient’s medical records before writing a pass to obtain the narcotics.
The 48-year-old doctor charged an initial fee of $300 and tacked on between $65 and $95 per visit, authorities said.
“Patients do not necessarily have to have an illness or injury in order to obtain a prescription,” informants told investigators. “During the examination, the patient and Dr. Ruble discuss what will be prescribed, and Dr. Ruble starts off prescribing small amounts of controlled substances to avoid detection by the DEA.
"Dr. Ruble also advises patients to visit several different pharmacies and to use Medicaid and Medicare if need to pay for the prescriptions.”
Patients returned every two weeks to refill their prescriptions for OxyContin, methadone and morphine, wrote Scott Syme, a Drug Enforcement Administration agent.
A Grand Rapids Police detective was among the patients to whom Ruble illegally prescribed medication, records show. The search warrant application says within a span of three months, Kristin Dionne, working undercover, obtained Adderall, Tramadol and Suboxone, powerful pain-killing controlled substances.
Ruble, who is serving a 60-day jail term for contempt of court for failing to appear for hearings on a third-offense drunken driving charge, had a Monday pre-trial hearing on those charges adjourned. It was rescheduled for Nov. 1.
Ruble has not been charged with any crimes tied to the federal investigation for unlawful distribution of prescription drugs, but records show authorities have invested substantial resources to build a possible case.
It also isn’t the first time the doctor has been under scrutiny from DEA agents. The warrant request states authorities looked at Ruble in 2005 for allegedly dealing prescriptions from his home while his license was suspended.
That investigation was closed based on “insignificant losses of federal monies,” records show.
In that probe, informants said “Dr. Ruble accepted various amounts of cash and even a case of beer in return for issuing drug prescriptions.”
In August 2008, Ruble entered into an agreement with authorities that acknowledged he wrote controlled substances prescriptions after he surrendered his federal registration. The deal allowed him to regain his license with restrictions that he not purchase, administer or dispense narcotics.
Ruble, records show, returned to authorities’ radar when former colleagues expressed concerns to investigators about his alleged inappropriate prescription habits.
At a former employer, the director and nursing coordinator “heard other patients talking in our waiting room about Dr. Ruble’s willingness to prescribe ‘anything you want,’” records show.
Patients in the clinic also “talk openly about Dr. Ruble, saying that all the drug addicts in town go to see him,” the documents state.
Pharmacists in and around Grand Rapids also noted irregularities when questioned by investigators, the agent alleges.
At least one person interviewed confessed to authorities that he sells OxyContin pills obtained from a prescription written by Ruble as a means of supporting himself and his son, records show.
Another person alleged Ruble “knows what is going on,” when he prescribed morphine to a patient who was re-selling the drug, documents state. (LINK) — 10/19/2010
State suspends doctor’s license over DUI
GREENVILLE, Mich. (WZZM)- Michigan regulators are suspending the license of a Greenville doctor following his plea in a drunk driving case.
The Michigan Department of Community Health issued a news release Monday on the suspension of the osteopathic medical license of Dean Ruble, 48.
On February 8, Ruble entered a no contest plea to a charge of operating while intoxicated - third offense and assaulting/resisting/obstructing a police officer. Both charges are felonies and Ruble is awaiting sentencing.
Ruble is also the target of a federal investigation, following allegations he sold painkiller prescriptions for cash. State investigators “participated in a search of Ruble’s office and found dozens of Ruble’s prescription pads pre-signed, and a standing order authorizing a licensed practical nurse to prescribe controlled substances in Ruble’s absence,” according to a MDCH news release. The state also accuses Ruble of prescribing Methadone “to hundreds of patients for ‘opioid dependency’ although he does not hold federal or state licenses to dispense Methadone for the treatment of opioid addiction.”
The state issued the license suspension order on February 10, two days after Ruble’s DUI plea.
The federal government is still investigating Ruble, and no charges have been filed. (LINK) — 2/28/2011
Doctor investigated in painkiller probe gets probation in tax case
GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. - A former Greenville doctor investigated for questionable painkiller prescriptions and sent to jail for third offense drunken driving was back in court Monday, Jan. 23, for failing to file a tax return.
Dean A. Ruble avoided federal prison, but was ordered to pay nearly $50,400 in restitution for failing to file a tax return. He pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge in August.
U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Ellen S. Carmody put Ruble on probation for three years and hit with a $5,000 fine.
It is another setback for Ruble, who in 2011 had his medical license suspended after pleading no contest in Montcalm County Circuit Court to third offense drunken driving. At the time, his prescription writing practices were under scrutiny, but did not result in federal charges.
He was charged with failing to file a tax return for the calendar year 2010. Federal investigators say his gross income for the year was $114,602 related to his medical practice.
Failing to file a tax return is punishable by up to a year in federal prison and a $100,000 fine.
Ruble’s “increasing dependence on alcohol was causing his life to spin out of control,’’ defense attorney J. Terrence Dillon wrote in a sentencing memorandum.
It was just after Ruble was released from jail in Aug. 2011 for third-offense drunk driving that he failed to file his 2010 individual tax return, Dillon wrote in a sentencing memorandum asking that Ruble be given probation rather than jail.
“There is simply no need to deter Dr. Ruble from further criminal conduct,’’ Dillon wrote. “Dr. Ruble is committed to remaining sober and to leading a law-abiding life. His struggles and subsequent rehabilitation will certainly deter others from violating the law.’’
Ruble, who now lives in Rockford, was discharged from probation in April, 2016 for the third-offense drunk driving. He has a limited license to practice medicine and works as a physician at American Home Doctors in southeast Michigan, court records show.
Federal investigators say Ruble in 2009 and 2010 paid his employees in cash, failed to withhold taxes from his employees, deposited business income directly into his personal account and did not pay federal income taxes.
“Dr. Ruble has a checkered history of prescription practices, including a suspension of his medical license from 2004 to 2007 and a voluntary suspension of his DEA registration from 2004 to 2008,’’ Assistant U.S. Attorney Raymond E. Beckering III wrote in a sentencing memorandum. (LINK) — 1/23/2017
MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—G 70273 LICENSE STATUS/DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—License Renewed and current; Interim Order; Limits on practice.
Madera doctor’s license suspended for unpaid taxes
A Madera doctor’s license is suspended because of unpaid taxes, said the Medical Board of California.
Dr. Todd David Spencer’s license was suspended Jan. 17.
Taxation Code section 7063 states the denial of application and suspension of license, certificate and registration for an applicant or licensee who owes over $100,000 to the state Franchise Tax Board or Board of Equalization and appears on either agency’s top 500 tax delinquency list. If the balance or a payment arrangement isn’t made within 90 days, the delinquent’s license is suspended until a release is given from the FTB or BOE. (LINK) — 1/24/2017
MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—ME58607 LICENSE STATUS/DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—License clear/active as of 1/28/2017; no actions listed
Palm Beach County doctor had gun, knife and drugs at Boca school during stalking arrest, police say
BOCA RATON, Fla. – A Palm Beach County doctor has been arrested for aggravated stalking after police say he repeatedly harassed the mother of his child. During his arrest, police say they found weapons and methamphetamine on him.
The victim says her ex-fiance, Dr. Steven M. Glanz, has been harassing her over the past four years. Glanz is a doctor at Advanced Dermatology in Delray Beach.
She showed Boca Raton police a series of text messages she considered threatening in nature.
According to an arrest report, the text messages included statements like “I have my house loaded with assault rifles scarface style” and “Send the swat team”.
The victim told police she thought Glanz was possibly suffering from paranoia or schizophrenia, but he has never been diagnosed with anything.
The victim also provided copies of a few emails sent to her by Glanz. In the emails, he accuses her of having issues with mental illness.
Due to Glanz showing up at her residence for no reason and calling her constantly when she has their son, police advised the woman to get a restraining order, so Glanz stops harassing her through electronic media such as text messages or emails.
The next day, the victim told police that since her initial report with police she received several additional threatening messages after he was instructed to discontinue the messages, demonstrating an ongoing course of harassment.
After confirming that the woman was in fear for her safety based on her recent and repeated communication with Glanz, police say most of the elements of aggravated stalking were present against him.
Officers learned that Glanz would be picking up his child at St. Andrews School in Boca Raton and planned to make contact with him there.
Once Glanz appeared at the school, staff escorted him to a private building out of view from students, parents and most staff.
Once inside and distracted, officers approached him and notified him of his arrest.
Upon searching Glanz, officers recovered a holstered, loaded 5-shot North American Arms .22 magnum derringer firearm in his right front pocket. Officers found a black folding knife in his left front pocket. And during the booking process, a search revealed a small brown glass vile in the small coin pocket on the front right side of his jeans.
The contents of the vial were tested and were confirmed to be methamphetamine.
Dr. Steven Glanz is charged with Aggravated Stalking, Possession of a Firearm on School Property, and Possession of Methamphetamine.
MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—PO2497 LICENSE STATUS/DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—License delinquent as of 1/28/2017; accusation filed
Gregoire Garcon of Broward, Florida Arrested for Theft of Government Money
Gregoire Garcon, a podiatrist and sneaker designer from Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, was arrested last week for allegedly attempting to steal government money. Garcon, 56, purportedly tried to cash over a dozen stolen tax refund checks valued at over $110,000 back in 2013. He is being held without bail.
According to court records, Garcon allegedly tried to cash the checks at the beginning of 2013. He reportedly gave the checks to an associate who agreed to have them cashed in Tampa in exchange for 45% of their monetary value. However, the associate’s Tampa contact turned out to be an undercover agent from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Garcon reportedly confessed to the alleged crime while being interviewed by IRS agents from the Criminal Investigations Division last year. He purportedly told the agents that he had lost a lot of money after his divorce and that he needed the stolen money to provide for his three children (aged 14, 15, and 19).
If found guilty for his alleged crimes, Garcon would have faced anywhere between 15 to 21 months in federal prison. Last November, while his former lawyer was negotiating a plea agreement for his charges, Garcon purportedly fled to Brazil. Court records state that Garcon didn’t even tell his family that he was leaving, which led one family member to file a missing persons report.
Garcon traveled in South America for five months, sources say. He reportedly returned to U.S. from Colombia in April with the intention of surrendering to federal authorities. He was arrested immediately after he landed in Fort Lauderdale and is currently being held while his case is pending to prevent him from leaving the country again.
U.S. Magistrate Barry Seltzer agreed with federal prosecutors involved in the case that there was a likelihood Garcon would try to flee the country again. He ordered Garcon to be held without bond, something that would have been unlikely had Garcon not left the U.S. five months ago.
Garcon was originally a citizen of Haiti but he became a U.S. citizen through naturalization. He studied medicine in the U.S and has been a practicing podiatrist for over two decades now with an office in Margate along State Road 7. Florida state records show that Garcon’s medical license expired in March this year and was given a ‘delinquent’ status while he was out of the country. (LINK) — 5/02/2016
Broward foot doctor sentenced to prison for theft of public money
A Broward podiatrist and sneaker designer who briefly went on the run in South America while under investigation was sentenced Monday to federal prison, court records show.
Gregoire Garcon, 57, of Sunny Isles Beach, will receive credit for the months he has spent locked up since he was arrested in April when he voluntarily returned to the U.S. to face prosecution.
He pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of theft of public money for trying to cash stolen income tax refund checks and was facing a possible punishment of 12 to 18 months in prison.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom sentenced him to seven months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release. Family and friends raised the $29,792 in restitution he owed and paid it Monday in court, his lawyer Michael D. Weinstein said.
Garcon apologized profusely in court and the judge gave him credit for his lack of any serious prior criminal history, his long record of charitable work and the amount of support he had from his family and friends, his lawyer said.
Weinstein argued that his client was simply a “middle man” who committed an unsophisticated crime in 2013 when someone gave him stolen income tax refund checks and he passed them along to a man he thought could get them cashed by a contact in Tampa. The Tampa man was an undercover IRS agent.
Investigators said Garcon gave 17 stolen U.S. Treasury tax refund checks, with a face value of more than $110,000, to an associate between March and June 2013.
Garcon fled to Brazil in November and returned in April, according to court records. Prosecutors said he didn’t tell his family he was leaving and a niece was so concerned about his well-being that she filed a missing person report with police.
Garcon, a father of three teenagers, told agents from IRS Criminal Investigations that “his divorce had wiped him out financially, and he needed the money,” according to court records.
After traveling in South America for five months, Garcon hired Weinstein and said he was flying home from Bogota, Colombia, to surrender. He was arrested when he landed in South Florida.
A naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in Haiti, Garcon attended medical school in the U.S. and has been a South Florida podiatrist for more than 20 years. He was most recently based in Margate and was marketing a line of sneakers he designed, his lawyer said.
State records show Garcon’s medical license has been in “delinquent” status for several months because it expired in March. (LINK) — 8/08/2016
MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—4301093491 LICENSE STATUS/DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—License suspended
Toledo area doctor charged with sex crimes pleads not guilty
A Toledo area orthopedic doctor charged with multiple sex crimes in Michigan and Ohio made his first court appearance in Lucas County Court Wednesday morning.
Dr. Jake Paul Heiney pleaded not guilty to two counts of Gross Sexual Imposition. That’s for crimes allegedly committed at his Cutting Edge Orthopedics in Sylvania.
Heiney previously appeared before a judge in Monroe County District Court Tuesday morning. He faces four counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct with two different victims.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department says the crimes happened at his practice at Aspen Grove Village in Lambertville.
The Lucas County Prosecutors Office says the alleged incidents in Sylvania are sexual in nature and involve the inspection of parts of the body not associated with the victims’ orthopedic surgery.
Sylvania residents say the news is shocking and unsettling. But one man in Lambertville says he’s not worrying about the charges right now and will wait until the truth comes out.
“Yeah, we’re definitely not assuming anything. There’s a lot of hearsay in numerous instances,” said Lambertville resident Mitch Keene.
Dr. Heiney’s license to practice is currently not suspended. Officials say he’s been under investigation since May.
Heiney is no longer in jail, on the condition he does not see his patients without supervision. He will be back in court Nov. 16.
Monroe County Detectives ask anyone with information about the cases there to call them at 734-240-7530. (LINK) — 8/25/2015
Jury convicts Heiney on all counts
Guilty of gross sexual imposition, tampering with records
An orthopedic surgeon who had improper sexual contact with two female patients during what he claimed were standard medical exams was found guilty today of two counts of gross sexual imposition and one count of tampering with records.
Dr. Jake Heiney, 41, of Lambertville faces up to three years in prison when he is sentenced Friday by Lucas County Common Pleas Judge Gene Zmuda.
The jury of six men and six women deliberated approximately four hours Tuesday and today before returning the guilty verdicts.
During Heiney’s trial, a 42-year-old woman testified that the doctor pushed and squeezed her breasts during an exam for shoulder pain. No one else was in the exam room at the time, she said.
A 33-year-old patient said she also was alone with Heiney when he asked her to bend over and touch her toes, and he abruptly pulled her pants and underwear to her knees and felt her behind, side, and upper thigh. His hand also brushed her private area, she said.
Prosecutors also presented evidence that after Sylvania police and the Ohio State Medical Board began their investigations, Heiney altered one of the women’s records.
The judge revoked Heiney’s bond and officers put him in handcuffs and led him out of the courtroom to jail after the verdict this morning.
Separately, Heiney still faces criminal charges in Monroe County stemming from similar allegations at his Lambertville office. He is charged with four counts of criminal sexual conduct in Monroe County Circuit Court.
Heiney closed both his practice in Sylvania and in Lambertville last summer after the charges were lodged. (LINK) — 2/24/2016
Dr. Heiney sentenced to 6 months in jail for fondling patients
A doctor convicted of inappropriately touching his female patients was sentenced Friday to six months in jail and four years probation.
Wednesday, Dr. Jake Heiney of Cutting Edge Orthopedics was found guilty on two counts of gross sexual imposition at his Sylvania practice and one count of tampering with medical records.
Two of his female patients sayHeiney made them take their clothes off and then fondled them during exams after they complained of shoulder and hip pain.
Friday, Judge Gene Zmuda sentenced Heiney to six months at the Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio (CCNO) based on the charge of tampering with patient records and four years probation based on the two charges of gross sexual imposition.
Judge Zmuda told Heiney at sentencing that “there is no justification for your lying and tampering with records, none. You shall never be a doctor.”
Once he fulfills his jail sentence, Heiney will be required to attend a 90-day work release program and pay a $5,000 fine.
Heiney is also now classified as a tier-1 sex offender and will have to register his address for the next 15 years.
In addition to this, he will have to complete 200 hours of community service.
“It was not a priority for the victims in this case to see him go to prison they just wanted to make sure no one else could get hurt,” said prosecuting attorney Lindsay Navarre.
Heiney’s defense team was also pleased with the sentence, but still believes he was wrongfully convicted on false allegations.
“I talked to doctors since this verdict has come in and they are all panicking as to what steps they need to take to protect themselves. It costs a lot of money to have someone sitting there to protect you, this is a very scary society,” said defense attorney Lorin Zaner.
The defense does plan to appeal the case. However, a judge denied their request for Heiney to be released on an appellate bond.
Heiney’s attorneys continue to work on another trial against him scheduled for April in Monroe, Michigan, where Heiney faces four charges of criminal sexual conduct. (LINK) — 2/26/2016
Convicted doctor opts to sue victim
Dr. Jake P. Heiney contends he’s innocent and the victim defamed, libeled and slandered him.
A former Lambertville physician who was convicted of sexual assault while examining a patient and has served time in jail is suing one of the victims who testified against him for defamation of character.
Dr. Jake Paul Heiney, who in June was sentenced to 90 days in jail, filed a three-count lawsuit against a woman who testified in court that he removed her pants and underwear during a routine back examination.
He is seeking more than $25,000 plus attorney fees for the humiliation, embarrassment, disgrace and public scandal.
A countersuit is expected to be filed soon by the woman’s attorney.
“The statements were made by the defendant with malicious intent,” the lawsuit reads. “The plaintiff (Dr. Heiney) suffered financially as well as physically by having been charged with a criminal act. (Dr. Heiney) suffered extreme stress and depression and economic and non-economic losses.”
Dr. Heiney, 42, a former orthopedic surgeon whose license to practice has been revoked, was convicted in April of two felony counts of criminal sexual conduct, fourth degree, when another female patient testified in court that he fondled her breasts during back examinations.
He also was found guilty of two counts of gross sexual imposition and one count of tampering with records in Ohio in a separate case and sentenced to six months in jail.
The lawsuit filed in Monroe County Circuit Court claims defamation of character, libel and slander; intentional infliction of emotional distress, and malicious prosecution.
His attorney, James O. Elliott of Bloomfield Hills, said the former doctor is appealing the convictions and hinted that the victims lied on the stand.
“He’s willing to fight to prove his innocence,” Mr. Elliott said. “He’s taken his position very strongly. He’s standing tall.”
Daniel Randazzo, whose Rochester Hills firm is representing the victim, said the lawsuit is frivolous and an attempt by Dr. Heiney to intimidate the victim and other potential victims from coming forward. The woman’s name in the lawsuit is being withheld because she testified in court to being a victim of sexual assault.
“He’s still trying to argue that he’s innocent even though he was found guilty,” Mr. Randazzo said. “It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me.”
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case against Dr. Heiney. Detective Sgt. Jeff Pauli, who oversaw the investigation, said many women who are victims of sexual abuse or assault commonly are too embarrassed or humiliated to prosecute.
This type of lawsuit, where the convicted assaulter is suing the victim, only will add to the anxiety of future victims thinking of coming forward, Sgt. Pauli said.
More Video: Bedford’s girls basketball team plays Ann Arbor Huron on Friday, Jan. 27.
“The message it sends to female victims is they can be punished for doing the right thing,” Sgt. Pauli said. “I find it appalling.”
During the legal process last year Dr. Heiney was charged with indecent exposure in addition to the sexual assault charges.
The defendant in the lawsuit testified last February in court that Dr. Heiney unnecessarily pulled down her yoga pants and exposed her during a routine back examination.
“I was embarrassed and shocked,” the woman said on the stand during a bench trial. “I felt so uncomfortable.”
Although a judge called Dr. Heiney’s actions with the patient disgusting and highly offensive, he dismissed the indecent exposure charge because the act was done in a private exam room and not in public. The victim in that case is the one targeted in the lawsuit.
With credit for good behavior, Dr. Heiney served 69 days of a 90-day sentence and has been released.
Mr. Elliott maintains his client was unjustly convicted and innocent of the accusations. He added that the women who testified against him collaborated their stories.
“You can’t assume anything just because someone is under oath,” Mr. Elliott said. “People perjure themselves every day.”
For the four convictions in Michigan and Ohio, Dr. Heiney of 3374 Quail Hollow Dr. was placed on the Michigan Sex Offender Registry until 2041. Despite the convictions, Mr. Elliott believes his client will be vindicated.
“He’s going to fight for justice,” Mr. Elliott said. “We’re quite confident justice will be served.”
The civil lawsuit is being heard before 38th Circuit Judge Daniel S. White. During a hearing last week, the judge ordered the defendants to respond to the lawsuit by the end of this month.
Mr. Randazzo said he plans to file a countersuit against Dr. Heiney for intentional infliction of emotional distress.
“He’s doing everything he can to intimidate the victim to recant her testimony,” Mr. Randazzo said. “He’s trying to make them spend money.” (LINK) — 1/26/2017
Heiney now facing hit-and-run charges
Dr. Jake Heiney, the Lambertville physician who was convicted of sexually assaulting several women patients in Monroe County and Ohio, is in legal trouble again.
The Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that a misdemeanor warrant has been issued against the former orthopedic surgeon accusing him of fleeing the scene of a minor accident in January. He has been charged with failure to stop after a collision, which carries a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail and/or a $100 fine.
The charge is in connection with an accident at Tanlines, 8124 Secor Rd., Lambertville, where Dr. Heiney is accused of backing into a parked vehicle and leaving the scene without filing a report. When confronted by a Monroe County sheriff’s deputy about a month after a report was filed, he immediately wished to speak to a lawyer, according to a police report.
The deputy photographed the damage to Dr. Heiney’s 2008 Lexus. His car had damage on the rear bumper “that correlates with the type of traffic crash that occurred in the parking lot,” according to the police report. The owner of the vehicle that was hit is an Erie woman.
An employee at Tanlines told the investigating deputy that although she did not witness the collision she saw Dr. Heiney sitting in his car moments before the fender-bender, talking on his phone.
The employee told the deputy she is familiar with Dr. Heiney because he is a regular customer, the reports said.
Dr. Heiney was convicted in Monroe County of two counts of criminal sexual conduct, fourth degree, after he fondled the breasts of two female patients during back examinations. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail.
He also was found guilty in Ohio of two counts of gross sexual imposition and one count of tampering with records in a separate case and sentenced to six months in jail.
Most recently Dr. Heiney filed a lawsuit against a woman for defamation of character after she testified in court that she was victimized by Dr. Heiney when he pulled down her pants and underwear during an examination.
In response to the lawsuit, the woman filed a six-count countersuit against Dr. Heiney in Monroe County Circuit Court. (LINK)—4/02/2017
Former physician back in jail
A former Bedford Township physician convicted of sexual misconduct with female patients is back in jail.
Jake Heiney of Lambertville was serving five years’ probation after a 90-day stint in Monroe County jail, when he was brought to court on four probation violations.
He pleaded guilty to two of those charges Wednesday in Monroe County 38th Circuit Court, including that he accessed social networking sites between August and February.
Heiney said in court that he knowingly accessed those sites contrary to the terms of his probation.
He was immediately sentenced to 150 days in jail with credit for two days served.
The remaining two violations will be dropped as part of a deal that was accepted by Circuit Court Judge Daniel S. White. Heiney was represented by Layne A. Sakwa, a Southfield attorney.
Upon release, Heiney will serve 30 days on a tether and will not be permitted to use any device that can connect to the internet. Probation will be reinstated after that.
Heiney’s plea was given after several postponed pretrial hearings scheduled for his violations. His original hearing was set for March 15, then moved to April 19 and again moved to Wednesday.
In addition to accessing social media, Heiney allegedly possessed sexually stimulating materials against probation terms, failed to update his sex offender registry in January and made a false report to his probation agent.
In April 2016, Heiney was found guilty of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct, which included fondling female patients during examinations.
He was sentenced to 90 days in jail and given five years of probation. He was added to the sex offender registry and his Michigan medical license was revoked.
Heiney also was convicted of two counts of sexual imposition in Ohio. (LINK)—5/26/2018
MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—9079 LICENSE STATUS/DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—License active-Unconditioned; license suspended, now restored
11-27-12: Complaint issued for ingesting illicit, dangerous or addictive drug, habitual use of drugs & unethical or unprofessional conduct. 11-28-12: Stipulation for Temporary Suspension of License & Submission for Evaluation entered. 3-21-13: Stipulation entered. 3-22-13: Order entered. License suspended one year, with suspension stayed for two years upon conditions. 5-5-15: Physician fulfilled conditions imposed by the 3-22-13 Board Order and holds an unrestricted, unconditioned license.
Allowing doctors with abuse problems to continue practicing is common in N.D.
[Excerpted] Dr. Mansureh Iravani, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon in Bismarck, left the scene after hitting a sign with a vehicle on May 19, 2012. When later found, she appeared impaired. A urine analysis was positive for methamphetamine, the Board of Medical Examiners’ complaint stated.
An immediate suspension of Iravani’s license in November 2012 was not imposed provided she wore a drug-testing skin patch and submitted to daily urine tests, board documents stated.
A stipulation, signed by Iravani on March 21, 2013, required that she abstain from alcohol and mood-altering substances not prescribed by her physician, be subject to random testing, complete aftercare and enter the five-year physician health program.
Separately, the North Dakota Board of Dental Examiners has been discussing a complaint against Iravani, its meeting minutes show.
A statement released by Iravani’s attorney, Jeff Weikum of Bismarck, said evaluators determined she did not have a substance addiction issue, “but needs to make appropriate choices in her personal life and work to ensure that she maintains her personal health.”
The statement said she has been entirely compliant with the medical board’s plan.
“Dr. Iravani made some regrettable choices which affected her personal life during non-work hours,” the statement said.
“It is important to emphasize that Dr. Iravani’s patient care and quality of service were never at issue.” (LINK) —
MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—20708 LICENSE STATUS/DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—License active as of 1/22/2017; no actions listed
FAYETTEVILLE DOCTOR FACING SEXUAL BATTERY CHARGES
FAYETTEVILLE (WTVD) –A Fayetteville doctor is facing sexual battery charges.
According to arrest warrants, 74-year-old Paul Carter squeezed a female patient’s breasts during an appointment late last year.
The incident reportedly happened on November 9, 2015 at a consultation for weight loss surgery.
The patient, who doesn’t want to be identified, said it was sexual. “What else can it be? To go into a doctor and he starts fondling you,” she said.
“Anytime a man starts groping a woman and it’s not wanted it’s definitely a problem but for this man to do that in this type of setting,” she said. “I feel like it’s predatory.”
Carter operates the Fayetteville Weight Loss Center, and specializes in bariatric surgery, according to his website.
Court documents state Carter has been charged with misdemeanor sexual battery.
He was arrested by the Fayetteville Police Department on Friday and is scheduled to appear in court Feb. 29th. (LINK) — 2/22/2016
MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—D57475 LICENSE STATUS/DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—License suspended
Summary Suspension. The physician presents a substantial likelihood of a risk of serious harm to the public health, safety and welfare of the public.
Pain doc used, shared drugs with patients
The Delaware medical board has temporarily suspended the license of a pain management doctor accused of being addicted to narcotics, sharing opiates with her patients and growing marijuana in her home.
Dr. Eva C. Dickinson operates the pain management clinic Cutting Edge Treatment Center in Harrington’s Midway Park Center. She previously practiced at Compassionate Pain Management, which had locations in Dover and Seaford, state officials said.
Dickinson could not be reached for comment Thursday.
A Facebook page for Cutting Edge Treatment lists the business as being in Seaford, but includes photos of Compassionate Pain Management. A woman who answered the phone at the number listed on the site identified the business as Cutting Edge Treatment in Harrington. The woman confirmed that she works for Dickinson, but declined to answer any further questions.
The 60-day suspension of Dickinson’s Delaware medical license comes nearly four months after Maryland State Police arrested the 48-year-old at her Denton, Maryland, home on various drug charges. Dickinson’s medical license in Maryland was suspended on Dec. 28.
According to documents from her license hearing in Maryland, police found two marijuana growing operations in Dickinson’s bedroom on Sept. 12, along with 22 plants growing in and around the home.
Police also seized hundreds of prescription medication pills; dozens of belladonna and opium suppositories; empty Fentanyl sublingual spray applicators; and a bottle found in the doctor’s pocket containing a variety of opioid medications, including oxycodone and morphine.
Dickinson is charged with five counts of misdemeanor drug possession and a felony count of manufacturing a controlled dangerous substance.
Zachary Reid, a deputy attorney general in Caroline County, Maryland, called the case unusual.
“You occasionally hear about doctors overprescribing medication,” he said. “But not too much about doctors using that medication.”
The Maryland State Board of Physicians initially scheduled an interview with Dickinson to discuss her arrest on Nov. 17, but postponed that meeting and sent the doctor for drug testing after she showed up an hour late for the appointment, records show.
According to state documents, she was two hours late for the drug test, which indicated the presence of three opioids, including Fentanyl – a synthetic painkiller considered 50 times more potent than heroin and often used by terminally ill cancer patients.
Dickinson then showed up two hours late for her rescheduled hearing before the Maryland medical board, where she “exhibited erratic, impaired and aberrant behaviors,” according to the order that suspended her license.
Dickinson, for instance, claimed the evidence against her was planted and “pointing to a conspiracy,” according to the order.
The doctor also reportedly claimed she did not know what marijuana “looks or smells like,” despite having previously appeared in a television news segment as the medical adviser for Blue Crab Botanicals, a company that sought a license to grow marijuana for state-licensed dispensaries.
Robin Hurni, a fellow co-founder of Blue Crab Botanicals, also is facing drug charges after being arrested in November, according to online court records. Her address is listed as the same Denton home as Dickinson’s residence.
A spokeswoman for the Maryland medical board declined to comment on Dickinson’s case Thursday.
David C. Mangler, director of the Delaware Division of Professional Regulation, also declined to comment.
Dickinson’s medical license in Delaware was temporarily suspended Wednesday. The Delaware Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline now has 60 days determine whether to revoke Dickinson’s license permanently, a spokesman said.
The order granting an emergency suspension of Dickinson’s medical license in Delaware includes several additional details and allegations.
That document said the Maryland medical board found Dickinson was addicted to controlled substances, wrote prescriptions for patients who then shared their medication with her and would take possession of her patients’ “leftover” narcotics, which she would then “reconstitute into a cream at her residence and sell.”
Dickinson, who was given at least 24 hours to respond to the allegations, reportedly claimed she was hospitalized and asked the Delaware board to postpone taking action until she could hire legal counsel.
Despite that request, the board moved to temporarily suspend her license, claiming Dickinson’s “continued practice presents a clear and immediate danger to the public health.” (LINK) — 1/19/2017
Delaware lawsuit claims doctor, drug maker colluded to create patient opioid addiction
A Kent County man is suing a local doctor and an Arizona-based pharmaceutical manufacturer, claiming the two ignored medical standards in pursuit of profit leading to his addiction to opioids.
The lawsuit, filed in Kent County Superior Court last week, accuses Maryland Dr. Eva Dickinson and her former practice, Cutting Edge Treatment Center in Harrington’s Midway Park Center, of ignoring the plaintiff’s health needs in prescribing an unnecessarily powerful opioid.
It accuses pharmaceutical manufacturer Insys Therapeutics of “ingratiating” employees inside Dickinson’s practice to encourage dangerous prescriptions. Both Dickinson and Insys executives have been indicted in other states for crimes relating to opioids.
Attempts to reach Dickinson and Insys officials for comment went unanswered. Her practice has been closed.
Philip T. Edwards, a Wilmington attorney who filed the lawsuit on behalf of Herbert Tisher and his wife, said the litigation is “another step in the process” of holding companies accountable for the overdose epidemic that has killed a suspected 94 people in Delaware this year alone.
“We are facing a huge epidemic here,” Edwards said. “This is a company, we believe, that intentionally and willfully, behind the scenes, hired doctors to push a drug they knew was not proper but for anyone but cancer patients.”
Gov. John Carney signed Senate Bill 48 to increase pharmacy access to naloxone, an antidote for those suffering from opioid overdoses. (Photo: Jennifer Corbett, The News Journal)
Tisher first went to Dickinson in 2014 for help managing medication and pain associated with a car crash. Edwards said his client was not in debilitating pain nor did he have cancer.
He was prescribed Subsys, a liquid application of fentanyl applied under the tongue with effects “practically indistinguishable” from heroin or morphine but with greater potency, the lawsuit said.
Edwards said federal regulators approved Subsys to treat pain for end-of-life cancer patients who have built a tolerance to less potent opioids.
The lawsuit states Dickinson never took the appropriate precautions. Tisher was never told it was a fentanyl-based drug approved for patients experiencing pain that couldn’t be helped by other narcotics, according to the lawsuit.
“It is unbelievable it didn’t kill him,” Edwards said.
The lawsuit says Dickinson initially prescribed Tisher a dosage six times what is recommended for cancer patients beginning treatment with the drug.
“The higher level of the dose, the higher commission for the sales representative and the higher profits for the company,” Edwards said.
As a result, Tisher became addicted to Subsys and other “dangerous narcotics,” the lawsuit states.
The “all-encompassing destruction of his physical, social and mental well-being” followed, Edwards said.
“It destroys lives. He is, fortunately, still alive, but it destroys not only his life but his friends’ lives and the people who care about him,” Edwards said.
St. Francis Hospital emergency room sees several opioid overdoses weekly in the City of Wilmington. Patients come by ambulance and are often left on the sidewalk incapacitated. (Photo: Jennifer Corbett, The News Journal)
In 2017, police raided Dickinson’s Maryland home and found what was described as two marijuana growing operations in Dickinson’s bedroom along with 22 plants growing in and around the home, records show.
Police also seized hundreds of prescription medication pills; dozens of belladonna and opium suppositories; empty Subsys applicators; and a bottle found in the doctor’s pocket containing a variety of opioid medications, including oxycodone and morphine.
She was charged with five counts of misdemeanor drug possession and a felony count of manufacturing a controlled dangerous substance, according to licensing documents.
Months after the charges were filed, a state-ordered drug test indicated the presence in her body of three opioids, including Fentanyl, licensing documents state.
The order granting an emergency suspension of Dickinson’s medical license in Delaware claimed the Maryland medical board found she was addicted to controlled substances, wrote prescriptions for patients who then shared their medication with her and would take possession of her patients’ “leftover” narcotics, which she would then “reconstitute into a cream at her residence and sell.”
Edwards said Dickinson is under federal investigation but declined further comment. He declined to make Tisher available for comment citing the investigation.
The lawsuit also claims Insys infiltrated the medical community with kickbacks and financial rewards to persuade physicians to prescribe Subsys.
In 2012, the company recorded sales of $14 million. By the end of 2015, that number had ballooned to $426 million, the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit claims the company would pay physicians to hold seminars and spread misleading information to lure physicians into prescribing Subsys for non-cancer pain.
The company also created an entire department aimed at pre-approval from insurers for Subsys prescriptions, the lawsuit states.
Specialists in that department would speak directly with insurance companies and pharmacy benefits managers by blocking their phone number and impersonating someone from the prescriber’s office, saying “whatever it took to ensure payment,” according to the lawsuit.
If an insurer required a patient demonstrate the ineffectiveness of other, less powerful opioid treatments, these specialists would “lie” about a patients’ medical history, the lawsuit states. They would also claim a prescription was a three-months supply when in reality it was only for one month, according to the complaint.
If that failed, prospective patients were provided with free product samples with the aim of having the patient reapply citing their prior use of the drug, according to the complaint.
Edwards said the extent of Dickinson’s involvement in those alleged schemes is unclear but will be explored through the litigation.
Attorney General Matt Denn gives a presentation at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute titled “Delaware’s Opioid and Gun Violence Crises: Keeping Focus In Tumultuous Times”, discussing the extraordinary opportunity Delaware has this year to fund under resourced anti-violence and drug treatment initiatives. (Photo: Suchat Pederson, The News Journal)
The lawsuit claims Insys “ingratiated” themselves inside Dickinson’s practice, even having representatives on-site encouraging Subsys prescriptions with Tishner and, presumably, other patients.
“We actually have evidence that they were colluding with doctors to push for unintended uses at prescription levels that were far behind what should have been done,” Edwards said.
The allegations in the lawsuit against Insys are related to a Manhattan federal court indictment charging five doctors for taking kickbacks from Insys for prescribing millions of dollars’ worth of Subsys and using their patients as an “instrument for profit,” according to the Associated Press.
John Kapoor, the founder of the company, was indicted in 2017 along with other company officials in the alleged kickback scheme.
The Delaware lawsuit claims medical negligence, negligent misrepresentation, fraud and conspiracy against the company and Dickinson. It also claims Insys was unjustly enriched and seeks unspecified punitive and compensatory damages. (LINK)—5/13/2018
MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—0101249448 LICENSE STATUS/DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—License active as of 01/21/2017; no actions listed
Martinsville doctor faces hit and run charges
MARTINSVILLE - A Martinsville medical doctor has waived her preliminary hearing in Martinsville General District Court on a charge of felony hit and run.
That case against Dr. Tooba Ali Kazmi, 35, of 1310 Root Trail, Martinsville, now heads to Martinsville Circuit Court, along with a charge of misdemeanor hit and run and a misdemeanor charge of reckless driving, according to court records.
A July 2 criminal complaint by Officer M.L. Peters of the Martinsville Police Department alleges the following:
On July 2, Peters responded to 9 Cleveland Avenue “in reference to a subject ramming a vehicle in the parking lot with another vehicle.” Gina Barrett Wirt, of 9 Cleveland Avenue, “stated that the subject also backed into her home, leaving the scene.”
While on the scene, Peters located a bumper from the suspect vehicle lodged in the grille of a white Mountaineer. Peters ran the Virginia tag on the bumper and got a home address for Tooba Ali Kazmi on Root Trail.
When Peters arrived on Root Trail, he spoke with Kazmi, “who then admitted that she had been at 9 Cleveland Avenue and did ram the white Mountaineer and struck the home of Ms. Wirt.”
Damage to the Mountaineer was minor, but “damage to 9 Cleveland Avenue was substantial. (There) is a hole from the outside of the home to the inside. There was also a tanning bed damaged inside due to the crash.”
“Ms. Kazmi did not report nor leave any info for the property owners,” the complaint says.
Court records say that Kazmi works at the Martinsville hospital and is a medical doctor. (LINK) — 8/17/2016
Plea deal reached in Martinsville doctor’s hit and run case
MARTINSVILLE –The prosecution reached a plea agreement in the hit and run case against the former chief medical officer at Memorial Hospital on Wednesday.
As part of the deal, the prosecution agreed to drop the charge of felony hit and run and amended a charge of misdemeanor hit and run to misdemeanor damage to property. In turn, Martinsville doctor Tooba Ali Kazmi pleaded guilty to misdemeanor damage to property and misdemeanor reckless driving in Martinsville Circuit Court.
In accordance with the plea agreement, Judge G. Carter Greer sentenced Dr. Kazmi on each of the two misdemeanor charges to 12 months in jail, all suspended on condition of payment of a $500 fine, supervised probation for a year, followed by three years of good behavior.
The fines for the two cases together total $1,000, but the period of probation for the two cases will run concurrently and the period of good behavior for the two cases will run concurrently, which means Dr. Kazmi will be on active probation for a total of one year, followed by a requirement of good behavior for a total of three years.
On July 2, 2016, Officer Mark Peters of the Martinsville Police Department responded to a call regarding a hit and run at 9 Cleveland Avenue. The front of a man’s white Mercury Mountaineer was smashed and the rear of a building at 9 Cleveland Ave. was badly damaged. The woman who owned the building had her business, a tanning salon, on the first floor, while the second and third floors were her home.
That woman had been woken up by a loud noise. She looked out of her window and saw a blue Honda, driven by Kazmi, collide with the Mountaineer several times. As Kazmi backed up in order to ram the Mountaineer, the back of her Honda smashed into the building at 9 Cleveland Ave.
After doing this several times and causing damage to the building, her vehicle and the Mountaineer, Kazmi allegedly left the scene without leaving any information.
“She did, however, leaver her front bumper,” according to Martinsville Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Andy Hall. “The bumper had her front license plate on it. Officer Peters ran her plate number and obtained her address.” Hall said that Kazmi admitted to striking the Mountaineer and the building at 9 Cleveland Avenue “and leaving without providing any information or alerting the owners of any law enforcement agency of the damaged property.”
The cost to repair the front end of the Mountaineer was less than $1,000, and the damage to the building was considerably more than that, Hall said.
Hall added that Kazmi made restitution “very, very quickly,” that she “has no criminal history whatsoever.”
When Judge Greer asked Kazmi’s lawyers – Ward Armstrong and Roscoe Reynolds – if they had any additions or corrections to the summary of the prosecution’s evidence, Armstrong responded, “Dr. Kazmi regrets the incident.” No reason was given as to why the situation happened.
In an email to the Bulletin, Elizabeth Harris, director of marketing for Memorial Hospital of Martinsville and Henry County, said that “Dr. Kazmi resigned her role as chief medical officer at Memorial Hospital this summer. She has had no position or affiliation with the hospital since that time.” (LINK) — 1/19/2017
MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—H72175 LICENSE STATUS/DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—License Active as of 1/22/2017; no actions listed
La Plata man accused of groping underage girl
A prominent University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center physician, and county government employee, was arrested by police last Friday, accused of inappropriately touching an underage girl.
Dr. Darin Mann, 51, who, according to a county government press release, had been employed as vice chair of the hospital’s emergency department, was arrested on a warrant after a 15-year-old girl reportedly told authorities that Mann had grabbed her buttocks while visiting his home in La Plata in late December, charging documents show.
On Jan. 13, Mann was arrested following three weeks of investigation by the Charles County Sheriff’s Office special victims unit, court records show. On Dec. 26, three days after the alleged incident, the 15-year-old girl reported the allegations to detectives. The girl stated that she was a visitor at Mann’s home when he began making inappropriate comments. She reportedly told detectives he then grabbed her buttock over her clothes and took a picture with his cell phone, and said he had touched her inappropriately in late November as well, charging documents indicate.
Detectives seized Mann’s cell phone a few days later and reportedly found a photograph depicting the girl’s buttock in a black pair of pants, court records revealed. Mann was released on $10,000 bond the day of his arrest.
In October, Mann had been appointed as the jurisdictional medical director of the Charles County Department of Emergency Services, a part-time position in which he oversaw the quality of patient care provided by the county’s professional and volunteer medical personnel, according to a government press release about his appointment.
Mann was “separated from employment” with the Charles County government on Jan. 13, according to a spokesperson.
Charles Regional Medical Center staff declined to comment on the case in person, and did not immediately respond to the Maryland Independent’s written inquiry. Mann is not listed in the hospital’s online employee directory.
Mann had also been credentialed to practice at Calvert Memorial Hospital in Prince Frederick, though his privileges were immediately suspended once the hospital was made aware of the allegations, according to hospital spokesperson Kasia Sweeney, who added that Mann had never worked a shift at the facility. Sweeney said he had previously been authorized to practice at Calvert Memorial through his employment with Emergency Medicine Associates, a physician-owned practice that contracts with hospitals in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia and West Virginia, according to its website.
An EMA spokesperson could not be reached by phone, as of press time Tuesday afternoon. (LINK) — 1/18/2017
Recent Comments