An OB-GYN who lost his medical license two years ago was arrested Wednesday after police say he illegally performed surgical procedures at a cosmetic surgery center on Cobb Parkway, according to a release from Cobb County police.
Cobb County police obtained warrants for Nathaniel Johnson III, 55, on July 8 as officials investigated whether he performed surgery without a license at the Hello Beautiful Cosmetic Surgery Center and the Royal Advanced Health Care at Vinings.
“We had a female come to us and indicate she had a couple of procedures done,” Cobb police spokeswoman Alicia Chilton told Channel 2 in a July 8th interview. Johnson restarted a business in Cobb, but it closed about late June, the news station reported.
Johnson’s license was revoked in 2014 after he admitted to Medicaid fraud and employing an unlicensed doctor, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported. His medical license wasn’t reinstated.
Johnson owned Regency Professional Health Services for Women, where he billed Medicaid more than $217,000 in expenses. He was given a 10-year sentence, but only served six months in the Fulton County Jail.
“There are definitely concerns there are more victims out there who underwent procedures,” Chilton told Channel 2. “He may have written prescriptions for them and was doing all that without a license.”
Johnson is being held in the Cobb County Detention Center. Detectives are asking anyone who may have been in contact with Johnson since July 18 to call them at 770-499-3945. (LINK)—7/13/2016
3 charged after former doctor allegedly performs surgeries without license
Three people are facing racketeering charges after authorities allege they took part in a scheme that allowed an unlicensed former doctor to perform surgeries.
A Cobb County grand jury returned 10 charges against Nathaniel Johnson, Peter Ulbrich and Shannon Denise Williams on May 5. Charges include two counts of racketeering, three counts of theft by deception and five counts of practicing medicine without a license.
According to the indictment, Ulbrich and Williams allowed Johnson to practice medicine even though he didn’t have a medical license.
The indictment said that Johnson, a plastic surgeon, lost his license after he pleaded guilty to numerous charges, including Medicaid fraud, in Fulton County back in July 2014. As part of that plea deal, he also agreed to pay back $300,000 in restitution.
Months later, Cobb County investigators allege Johnson began practicing again.
According to the indictment, Ulbrich, a licensed doctor, and Williams, an office assistant at the business, which was located at 4375 Cobb Parkway Suite C, allowed Johnson to continue to meet patients and perform surgery even though he no longer had a license. Investigators said Johnson met up to 40 patients who thought he was a licensed doctor between February 2015 and November 2016.
Ulbrich is accused of allowing Johnson to write prescriptions in his name, even in some cases when Ulbrich had not met the patient. In some instances, Johnson performed surgery while Ulbrich was in the room. In other cases, Ulbrich did the surgical work while Johnson instructed him on what to do. In those cases, Ulbrich referred to Johnson as “Dr. Johnson,” the indictment said.
During the time of the alleged incidents, Ulbrich, a gynecologist, was under probation after allegedly having sexual relationships with two female patients.
Williams is accused of scheduling appointments, interacting with patients and helping to communicate medical care instructions before and after surgery. She’s also accused of being present and interacting and assisting with medical procedures to the point that many patients thought she was the office nurse.
At least one of the patients treated by Johnson had to go to the hospital after an infection, prosecutors allege.
“The indictment doesn’t necessarily on the quality of, or the nature of, the medical care,” said Cobb County District Attorney Vic Reynolds. “It turns on the fact that it was deception and theft involved and that an individual was saying he was one thing when he wasn’t.”
Johnson had initially been arrested last summer and bonded out. Authorities in Cobb County expanded the investigation and ordered bench warrants for the three.
Ulbrich was arrested late last weekend in Coweta County, and transferred to Cobb Jail on Monday. The Cobb County Jail website indicates he was released on Tuesday.
Johnson had been arrested on the original charges last July. In a hearing on Thursday, he was granted $45,000 bond on the new charges. He will be placed under arrest with an ankle monitor after concerns were expressed about the previous violations. He faces up to 100 years in prison if convicted.
Johnson’s attorney, Dwight Thomas, said the charges against his client won’t hold up.
“One of the things you learn about people who get cosmetic surgery is they don’t like themselves. and people who are not satisfied with themselves and look in the mirror, they don’t like what they see,” he said. "They blame God, the doctor, the mirror and the people who make the mirror. So we have to understand this is the basis for this indictment.“
It’s not yet clear if Williams has been arrested. (LINK)—5/18/2017
The medical board ordered the OB/gyn to undergo a mental and physical examination, and results revealed that he admitted to having sexual relations with two female patients and boundary violations with a third patient.
The examiners recommended an intensive program of treatment for sexual misconduct, and the board suspended him while he underwent treatment in 2010.
In 2011, the board received information Ulbrich may have been practicing medicine while his license was suspended. While he denied that, he admitted being present at Botox parties, where his patients received injections of Botox by an unlicensed person at a home. Still, the board allowed him to return to practice, on probation. All restrictions were lifted in 2015.
The board’s website shows that Ulbrich practices in Peachtree City, Ga.
He has not yet responded to a request for comment. (LINK)
Peachtree City doctor charged with racketeering
Dr. Peter Ulbrich, 61, was released from Cobb County Jail with a $75,000 cash bond on Tuesday afternoon.
A Peachtree City physician is facing charges of practicing medicine without a license, theft by deception, and conspiracy to violate the state’s anti-racketeering statute.
Dr. Peter Ulbrich, 61, was released from Cobb County Jail with a $75,000 cash bond on Tuesday afternoon. He is an obstetrics and gynecology specialist who practices in Peachtree City.
Calls made to Ulbrich’s office were not immediately returned Tuesday afternoon.
According to a grand jury indictment, Ulbrich associated himself with Nathaniel Johnson III – a doctor who lost his license to practice medicine in July of 2014, but allegedly continued to do business as a doctor.
Ulbrich was arrested in Coweta County late last week before transferring into the Cobb jail.
The indictment also named Shannon Denise Williams, an office employee who handled billing and collections, but allegedly assisted with medical procedures.
Between February 2015 and November 2016, Johnson allegedly operated a business located at 4375 Cobb Parkway doing business under the names of Hello Beautiful, Genesis Medical Aesthetics, and Royal Advanced Healthcare Centers.
Although Ulbrich was a licensed doctor during the alleged time period, his license was under probation until May 8, 2015 following an investigation by the Georgia Composite Medical Board in 2010 when he admitted to having sexual relationships with two female patients and boundary violations with a third.
His license was suspended, and Ulbrich attended a treatment center in Lawrence, Kansas, for two months. During his suspension, the board discovered he was paid to attend parties where his patients received Botox injections by an unlicensed individual.
His suspension was lifted in 2011 and he remained on probation until May 8, 2015.
The indictment alleged Ulbrich used his medical licensure as a means to hide Johnson’s lack of licensure and allowed prescriptions to be written in his name, even in circumstances where Ulbrich never met the patient and the medical treatment had been provided by Johnson.
Johnson allegedly performed surgical work in the presence of Ulbrich, according to the indictment. In other instances, Ulbrich allegedly performed surgical work while Johnson was in the room directing him.
Johnson’s attorney, Dwight Thomas, told the Atlanta Journal Constitution, “No one was deceived and everything was above board, and we have it in writing from each victim that they were fully informed of who was doing what.”
Approximately 40 patients were named in the indictment who believed they were receiving care from a licensed doctor.
As of Tuesday evening, Ulbrich’s license remains listed as active on the Georgia Composite Medical Board website. (LINK)—5/17/2017
CONNECTICUT MEDICAL BOARD RECORD— 39531 DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—License active; no actions listed as of 5/21/2017
Manchester Physician Charged With Exam Room Sex Assaults
Under the cloak of a therapeutic procedure, police say, a physician sexually assaulted a patient twice in the doctor’s office.
Dr. Minh Han, 43, of Coventry, has been charged with three counts of second-degree sexual assault and one count of fourth-degree sexual assault. Han posted bail of $150,000 in cash, court officials said Wednesday, and is scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Manchester on May 25.
A man complained to police on April 13 that Han had sexually assaulted him during prostate massage procedures in Han’s Manchester office in February and April, an arrest warrant says. The man, 52, who suffered from prostatitis — a condition that causes inflammation and swelling of the prostate, had been Han’s patient for about 10 years, the warrant says.
For the past two years, he had been receiving prostate massages, in which a physician inserts a gloved, lubricated finger into the patient’s rectum. The man said Han told him during an office visit in January about “an additional procedure to obtain the full benefits” of the massage, the warrant says.
“Specifically, Dr. Han noted that full ejaculation would completely empty (the patient’s) system and be beneficial,” the warrant says.
Han is charged under a section of the sexual assault law in which “the actor accomplishes the sexual intercourse by means of false representation that the sexual intercourse is for a bonafide medical purpose by a health care professional.”
The man told police that during a prostate massage in February, Han began stroking the victim’s penis with his other, ungloved hand.
Han asked the man, “Are you OK with that?” according to the warrant. “Victim responded ‘no’ and explained it brought up memories and feelings” from a sexual assault he suffered as a child, the warrant says.
Dr. Han repeated several times that “I’m glad you trusted me enough to allow me to do that for you,” and said the man should not be concerned because the procedure was “normal,” the warrant says.
The man returned to Han for another prostate massage on April 10, police said. This time, Han blocked the examination room door with a chair before starting the procedure, the warrant says.
“Victim stated he suddenly felt Dr. Han’s mouth on his penis,” the warrant says. “Victim stated he ‘completely froze.’ Victim stated he had ‘flash backs’ to his childhood sexual assault.”
Han, the warrant says, then leaned against a counter and said, “I can’t believe that just happened.”
The victim said he just wanted to leave. He later called his wife, “but was crying too much to be understood,” the warrant says.
In an interview on April 25 at his home, Han confirmed that he conducted the prostate massage procedures, which are designed to decrease pressure in the prostate, the warrant says. He also admitted that he had “assisted ejaculating” the victim with his hand and later with his mouth, Det. Claire Hearn wrote in the warrant.
“Dr. Han acknowledged that it was ‘probably poor judgment on my part’ to put his mouth on victim’s penis,” Hearn wrote. (LINK)—5/17/2017
A congressional panel investigating Internet pharmacies has broadened the inquiry with letters to three doctors requesting information about their association with various online drug stores.
The letters, released Monday, follow a January letter to a Montclair, N.J., physician who has written more than 100,000 online prescriptions.
Since last summer, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations has been probing issues relating to the marketing and distribution of prescription drugs, especially controlled substances, introduced into U.S. commerce from foreign sources and illicit Web drug stores.
Committee spokesperson Ken Johnson told internetnews.com the panel expects to present its findings during a spring hearing.
“The problem is growing and people are going to end up dead,” Johnson said.
Physicians receiving the letters include Dr. Arthur N. Henson II of Miami, Fla.; Dr. Ranvir Ahlawat of Toms River, N.J.; and Dr. Alan Saltzman of Coral Springs, Fla.
According to Johnson, the three physicians were targeted from “information gleaned from various state and federal sources” and after various media outlets reported the physicians’ alleged involvement with Web pharmacies.
Ahlawat was named in a Dec. 16 Fort Worth Star Telegram story in which the author of the report purchased the narcotic Ultracet through the Web site vicodon.com-online.us. Ahlawat signed the prescription without seeing the author of the story. In another newspaper article published Jan. 4 by the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Ahwalat is reported to have written a prescription for phentermine, a controlled substance, based solely on an online questionnaire which the author found on the Web site ValuePrescribe.com.
Saltzman was identified in November television report by KLAS in Las Vegas in which a news anchor placed an order for 30 tablets of Xenical and 60 tablets of Celebrex with viamedic.com. The story claims Saltzman prescribed the drugs.
Henson has been associated with the Internet site myprivatedrugstore.com.
Attempts by internetnews.com to contact the three physicians were unsuccessful.
“Because of the public policy concerns about Internet pharmacies and the issues surrounding these websites, the Committee seeks direct information about the operations of websites with which you may have been involved, specifically prescription practices,” the Feb 3 letters state, “to determine whether these websites in fact provide a service to consumers safely and in compliance with all state and federal laws, or whether in fact the conduct related to these websites is illustrative of a growing public health threat.”
In each letter, the committee requests the three doctors to describe the methods in which they “examined patients before providing prescriptions” and to state the “criteria for determining a valid prescription used by websites with which you have been involved.” The committee is also seeking the amount of income each doctor received from the websites.
In January, Dr. Stephen Ancier of Montclair, N.J., became the first physician publicly identified as part of the probe by the committee. Ancier admits to writing more than 100,000 prescriptions over a two-and-half year period for USAPrescription.com and RxNetwork.com.
Those numbers work out to approximately 3,500 per month, 860 per week and, assuming a 40-hour work week, about 21 per hour.
Rep. James Greenwood (R-PA), chairman of the Commerce Oversight subcommittee, wrote to U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Mark McClellan in December to request that his agency look into “enablers of illegal Internet pharmacies and what efforts have been made toward discouraging these enablers from facilitating illicit Internet pharmacies.” (LINK)—2/10/2004
Former Toms River doctor charged with practicing with no license
TRENTON — A Toms River physician whose license was revoked after he was convicted of illegally prescribing thousands of prescriptions from internet orders was charged today with practicing medicine without authorization.
By having his license revoked, Ranvir Ahlawat, 49, was not permitted to have anything to do with practicing medicine, yet he owned a medical clinic in Toms River, said acting state Attorney General John Hoffman.
Ahlawat’s medical license was revoked in February 2010 by the state Board of Medical Examiners after he was convicted the year before in U.S. District Court in Pennsylvania of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and money laundering, according to his revocation order.
After completing his residency in 2002, Ahlawat admitted, he joined with four entities to prescribe medication “on a vast scale” for more than a year without performing any examinations on the possible patients, and after only taking a cursory look at the online questionnaires they filled out, the license revocation order said.
In what the order described as “an assembly line operation to authorize prescriptions,” Ahlawat approved about 184,450 prescriptions for one of those companies in one year and earned $1.3 million for his services, the order said.
In all, he wrote nearly 284,000 prescriptions between December 2002 and May 2004 and earned more than $2.1 million, according to the revocation order.
He was sentenced to five years’ probation and fined $1,500 and was still under court supervision when these latest allegations arose.
Hoffman said Ahlawat and his wife, an advanced nurse practitioner, own the Integrated Medical Care Center, also known as Doctor’s Care General Practice, on Main Street in Toms River. Detectives with the attorney general’s Medical Fraud Control Uuit executed a search warrant there today.
Because his license was revoked, Ahlawat was also prohibited from occupying, sharing or using office space with any health care licensee, Hoffman said. He said the investigation by his office’s Medical Fraud Control Unit determined that Ahlawat allegedly continued to use the offices of Integrated Medical after his license was revoked and that he continued to collaborate with his wife, Carmen Perez, regarding patient care. (LINK)—6/06/2014
Feds indict doctors linked to Internet pharmacy
PHILADELPHIA — Two doctors helped peddle millions of dollars worth of diet drugs through a California-based online pharmacy, approving thousands of prescriptions without seeing anyone in person, an indictment returned Wednesday charged.
By signing off on the customer orders, Drs. Steven Klinman and Ranvir Ahlawat helped the online site Rx Medical One take in proceeds of $33.6 million in nine months, according to the 85-count indictment.
Most of the orders were for highly addictive, controlled drugs, they said.
“The aftermath of this is people whose lives are often left in shambles,” said U.S. Attorney Patrick Meehan said. He said the group was no better than street-level drug dealers.
"This is high-tech drug dealing,” Meehan said.
The doctors — Ahlawat, 42, is from Toms River, N.J., and Klinman, 57, from Elkins Park, Pa. — were paid from $5 to $10 to review health questionnaires that people sent in with their orders. Ahlawat reviewed 1,000 to 1,500 a day at times, prosecutors said.
According to the indictment, five doctors who worked for Rx Medical approved more than 350,000 prescriptions from September 2003 to May 2004, most for weight-loss drugs such as Phentermine and Adipex and sleep aids such as Ambien.
The indictment does not name the other doctors who allegedly worked for Rx Medical One, but prosecutors said more people could be charged.
The indictment states that Rx Medical One was run by Michael Bezonsky, 44, of Calabasas, Calif. He was recently indicted in San Diego in another Internet pharmacy case and remains in custody.
Bezonsky’s lawyer said he was disappointed by the charges.
"Fundamentally, the government’s theory is that every prescription requires a face-to-face meeting with the equivalent of Dr. Welby, and that is out of step with the Internet world,” said lawyer John M. Vandevelde of Los Angeles.
The indictment also charges that pharmacist Alexander Atchildiev of Huntingdon Valley, Pa., who operated Universal Pharmacy Solutions, shipped the drugs without ensuring the prescriptions were valid; and that Thomas Beaulieu of Santa Monica, Calif., helped Bezonsky run the business.
Defense lawyers for Ahlawat, Klinman and Atchildiev did not immediately return calls for comment on Wednesday. Beaulieu’s lawyer, Benjamin Gluck of Los Angeles, said his client was charged under a statute in which criminal intent is not required. (LINK)—8/03/2006
Investigators: Doctor stripped of license kept practicing
TRENTON – Ranvir Ahlawat, 49, a former doctor in Toms River, was charged Tuesday with practicing medicine without a license after insurance fraud investigators raided his medical office.
Investigators with the Attorney General’s Office used a search warrant at Integrated Medical Care Center — also known as Doctor’s Care General Practice located at 803 Main St. — and charged Ahlawat with one count of third-degree unlicensed practice of medicine. Ahlawat was the owner of the facility, along with his wife, Carmen Perez, an advanced nurse practitioner, according to a statement by acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman.
On Feb. 10, 2010, Ahlawat’s medical license was revoked by the New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners, Hoffman said, following his 2009 conviction in federal court for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and money laundering. The revocation said Ahlawat in 2003-04 had prescribed controlled substances over the Internet based on questionnaires, with no physical examination, describing the practice as “virtually an assembly line,” earning him over $1.3 million.
With his license revoked, Ahlawat was forbidden from providing professional medical opinions or representing himself as being eligible to practice medicine, Hoffman said. He was prohibited from occupying, sharing or using office space with a licensed health care professional, Hoffman said.
An investigation determined Ahlawat continued to use the offices of Integrated Medical Care Center after his license was revoked, Hoffman said.
The investigation also determined Ahlawat collaborated with Perez about patient care, though his license had been revoked. The investigation is ongoing, Hoffman said.
Deputy Attorney General Christopher Ruzich and Detective Anthony Iannice coordinated the investigation.
Third-degree charges carry a maximum sentence of five years in state prison and a criminal fine of up to $15,000. Because the charge is an indictable offense, it will be presented to a grand jury for potential indictment, Hoffman said. (LINK)—6/10/2014
*Listed on the Medical Board Website with the last name of Ray instead of Roy.
FDLE agents raid local doctor’s office
A television news crew films in front of Dr. Asok Kumar Roy’s Butler Beach office Tuesday, May 16, 2017, shortly after agents from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement served a search warrant there.
Agents from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement served a search warrant at local doctor’s Butler Beach office Tuesday.
The raid at Dr. Asok Kumar Roy’s storefront office came the same day the Florida Department of Health placed an emergency suspension on his license amid allegations he traded prescriptions for sexual acts and allowed his wife to practice medicine out of the office without a license.
Jessica Cary, spokeswoman for FDLE, confirmed agents had executed the warrant at the office in the 5500 block of State Road A1A as part of an ongoing investigation being conducted in conjunction with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Health, but said Roy had not been arrested.
“We are collecting information to share with the State Attorney’s Office,” she said, before referring additional questions to the Health Department.
Officials there provided a copy of Roy’s emergency license suspension.
The 37-page document, which lists the doctor’s last name as “Ray,” details a nearly year-long investigation, that included the use of confidential informants and undercover sheriff’s deputies who contacted Roy for prescriptions of various forms of the painkiller buprenorphrine and the anti-anxiety drug Xanax.
The report describes various encounters in which Roy is said to have engaged in sex acts with patients.
Other allegations documented in the findings include Roy’s wife, Manjula Roy (also listed with the last name “Ray” in the report), practiced medicine without a license at the facility and Roy at times prescribed medication without conducting examinations.
Ultimately, the investigation found Roy’s “sexual misconduct with patients, exchanging sexual acts for medical examinations and/or prescriptions, exploiting patients’ addiction and/or economic circumstances for his own sexual gratification, aiding in M. Ray’s unlicensed practice of medicine, pre-signing blank prescription forms, assigning medical obligations to an unlicensed physician, and prescribing controlled substances to patients without conducting a medical examination indicate that Dr. Ray is not capable of caring for patients in a manner that is correct and safe.”
His continued practice of medicine “presents an immediate, serious danger to the health, welfare and safety of the public,” the document says.
Although Roy’s license is suspended, effective immediately, a proceeding seeking “formal discipline of the license” will also be scheduled.
No one was at Roy’s office Tuesday afternoon. (LINK)—5/16/2016
The Woodlands doctor suspended for allegedly being drunk on the job with BAC level of .293
Woodlands area emergency room physician has had his medical license temporarily suspended by the Texas Licensing Board.
Doctor Gregory Gibbons is a licensed emergency room physician. The Texas Medical Board says he practices at the CHI Baylor St. Luke’s Hospital in the Woodlands as well as the Emergency Center in Montgomery.
According to the Texas Medical Board, on April 19, Dr. Gibbons acting strangely while working a day shift at Chi St. Luke’s Emergency Center in Montgomery. Documents show Dr. Gibbons exhibited signs of intoxication, and was found passed out at designated doctors sleep room. Records show he was evaluated and relieved of his duties that night. As part of the evaluation, a blood sample was taken. The results show the doctor had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.293.
With his medical license temporarily suspended, Eyewitness News asked CHI St. Luke’s if Dr. Gibbons still had admitting privileges at its facilities.
The hospital system sent us the following statement:
While we do not discuss any specific medical staff or credentialing status matters, we do have policies and procedures in place to ensure that medical staff review committees take appropriate action when dealing with concerns effecting the care provided to patients.
Eyewitness News tried contacting Dr. Gibbons, but so far have not heard back.(LINK)—5/16/2017
Houston-area doctor accused of treating patients while legally drunk
THE WOODLANDS, Texas - A doctor who practiced in The Woodlands and Montgomery was suspended after the Texas Medical Board said he was treating patients while under the influence of alcohol.
According to a news release from TMB, Gregory Michael Gibbons was suspended Friday after a disciplinary panel determined that he posed a continuing threat to public welfare if he were to continue practicing medicine.
The TMB panel said Gibbons was working a day shift at the CHI Baylor St. Luke’s Emergency Center in Montgomery on April 19 when he began showing signs of intoxication. The panel said he was acting strange in his behavior and his treatment of patients.
A blood sample came back positive for ethyl alcohol at a blood-alcohol concentration of .293 percent, according to the release.
The temporary suspension will remain in place until the board takes further action.
Here is a statement from the hospital:
“While we do not discuss any specific medical staff or credentialing status matters, we do have policies and procedures in place to ensure that medical staff review committees take appropriate action when dealing with concerns effecting [sic] the care provided to patients.” (LINK)—5/15/2017
Medical Board Actions
Action Date: 05/12/2017 Description: ON MAY 12, 2017, A DISCIPLINARY PANEL OF THE TEXAS MEDICAL BOARD TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED, WITHOUT NOTICE, THE TEXAS MEDICAL LICENSE OF GREGORY MICHAEL GIBBONS, M.D., AFTER DETERMINING HIS CONTINUATION IN THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE POSES A CONTINUING THREAT TO PUBLIC WELFARE. THE SUSPENSION WAS EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY. THE BOARD PANEL FOUND THAT ON OR ABOUT APRIL 19, 2017, DURING A DAY SHIFT AT THE CHI BAYLOR ST. LUKE’S EMERGENCY CENTER IN MONTGOMERY, TX, DR. GIBBONS WAS ACTING STRANGELY IN BEHAVIOR, HIS TREATMENT OF PATIENTS, AND EXHIBITED CLEAR SIGNS OF INTOXICATION. A BLOOD SAMPLE CAME BACK POSITIVE FOR ETHYL ALCOHOL. A TEMPORARY SUSPENSION HEARING WITH NOTICE WILL BE HELD AS SOON AS PRACTICABLE WITH 10 DAYS’ NOTICE TO DR. GIBBONS, UNLESS THE HEARING IS SPECIFICALLY WAIVED BY DR. GIBBONS. THE TEMPORARY SUSPENSION REMAINS IN PLACE UNTIL THE BOARD TAKES FURTHER ACTION.
Santa Cruz doctor, nurse arrested in child sex case
A Santa Cruz neurosurgeon and nurse were arrested by the Watsonville Police Department on suspicion of sexually abusing children, including a victim who is less than 10 years old.
James Kohut, 57, of Santa Cruz, is a respected neurosurgeon at Dominican Hospital, as well as Sutter Maternity and Surgery Center.
He was arrested Sunday on suspicion of oral copulation with a minor, and forcing lewd acts on a minor.
One of Kohut’s nurses, 42-year-old Rashel Brandon, was arrested May 9, Watsonville police Sgt. George Zamora said.
The Watsonville woman is charged with eight felony counts of child sex abuse, including sodomy and oral copulation.
A Dominican Hospital spokesperson released a prepared statement to KSBW:
“Dignity Health Dominican Hospital is aware of the allegations and has taken the appropriate steps. In accordance with hospital policy, we cannot comment on personnel matters,” the spokesperson wrote.
A third person was also arrested in connection to the case, but the suspect’s name has not been made public yet.
According to the charges, there are two victims. One is less than 10 years old and the other is less than 14 years old.
So far, investigators have not disclosed where the alleged crimes occurred. This case is being investigated by the FBI, Internet Crimes Against Children Task force, and Watsonville Police Department.
Kohut was disciplined and sanctioned back in 2006 by the state medical board for “quality care issues,” according to public records.
One of those “issues” was that Kohut was caught downloading and viewing pornography while at work, according to the state board. He was employed as a neurosurgeon at University Medical Center at the time.
“(Kohut) viewed adult pornographic web sites and downloaded pornography during work hours on UMC computers during the the period of 2002 through Feb. 2003,” the state board wrote.
A second cause for discipline was a botched brain surgery Kohut performed in 2002, according to the board. An x-ray showed that a 36-year-old man had an aneurysm on the left side of his head, and Kohut erroneously attempted to surgically remove the aneurysm on the right side.
Kohut’s professional biography pages on SutterHealth.org and Pamf.org were giving “404 Page Not Found” error messages Monday, and appeared to have been removed.
This breaking news story will be updated. (LINK)—5/15/2017
Dr. James Kohut and Rashel Brandon
Doctor accused of child molestation worked at multiple Santa Cruz area hospitals
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KGO) –A Santa Cruz County brain surgeon facing child molestation charges has been placed in custody.
He’s been working at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation for a long time and has worked at two different hospitals.
A photo of James Kohut, M.D., was revealed from an archived page on the Palo Alto Medical Foundation’s website. However, his name and photo do not appear on PAMF’s current website, at this time.
Kohut’s biography lists him as a neurosurgeon in Santa Cruz and he’s affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including Dominican Hospital and Sutter Maternity.
He has been in practice for more than 20 years.
Kohut was booked on three charges, including lewd and lascivious acts on a child under 10 years old and a forcible lewd act on a child under the age of 14.
Santa Cruz Deputy District Attorney Stephen Moore explained to ABC7 News how serious the charges are. “The three charges that that he was currently booked in on, that he was arrested on, he faces a potential life sentence,” Moore said.
Officials with Dominican Hospital told ABC7 News they are aware of the allegations and have taken the appropriate steps, but couldn’t comment more because it’s a personnel matter.
The district attorney’s office said they’ll evaluate the case and determine if more charges will be filed.
Kohut may be scheduled to make a court appearance in Santa Cruz as early as Tuesday in order to be arraigned. (LINK)—5/15/2017
Santa Cruz doctor, nurse arrested in child sex case
A Santa Cruz nurse and neurosurgeon were arrested by the Watsonville Police Department on suspicion of sexually abusing children, including a victim who is less than 10 years old.
James Kohut, 57, was a longtime neurosurgeon in Santa Cruz at Sutter Maternity and Surgery Center, as well as Dominican Hospital.
He was arrested Sunday on suspicion of oral copulation with a minor, and forcing lewd acts on a minor. Kohut was arrested at his house on 4th Avenue in Santa Cruz, and was booked into jail without chance of bail.
A Dominican Hospital nurse, 42-year-old Rashel Melina Brandon, was arrested May 9 at a home on Cirvelo Street in Watsonville.
The Watsonville woman is charged with eight felony counts of child sex abuse, including sodomy, oral copulation, and forcing lewd acts. She pleaded not guilty.
According to her Facebook page, Brandon is an ICU staff nurse at Dominican Hospital, and a mother of two.
A third person was also arrested in connection to the case, but the suspect’s name has not been made public yet. The third person lives in another state.
According to the charges, there are two victims. One is less than 10 years old and the other is less than 14 years old. So far, police have not disclosed where the alleged crimes occurred, but confirmed the location is somewhere in Santa Cruz County.
This investigation is being led by the Watsonville Police Department, with help from the FBI and Internet Crimes Against Children task force.
A Dominican Hospital spokesperson released a prepared statement to KSBW:
“Dignity Health Dominican Hospital is aware of the allegations and has taken the appropriate steps. In accordance with hospital policy, we cannot comment on personnel matters,” the spokesperson wrote.
The Watsonville Police Department said it first became aware of a “serious sexual assault case” on May 9, the same day Brandon was arrested.
Kohut’s career has a few black eyes. He was disciplined and sanctioned in 2006 by the state medical board for “quality care issues,” according to state records.
One of those “issues” was that Kohut was caught downloading and viewing pornography while at work, according to the state board. He was employed as a neurosurgeon at University Medical Center at the time.
“(Kohut) viewed adult pornographic web sites and downloaded pornography during work hours on UMC computers during the the period of 2002 through Feb. 2003,” the state board wrote.
A second cause for discipline was a botched brain surgery Kohut performed in 2002, according to the board. An x-ray showed that a 36-year-old man had an aneurysm on the left side of his head, and Kohut erroneously attempted to surgically remove the aneurysm on the right side.
Kohut left Palo Alto Medical Foundation last year to take a job with Sparks Health System in Arkansas. An open house meet-and-greet with Kohut at Sparks Orthopedic and Spine Unit was scheduled for June 9.
A press release was issued by Sparks Health System spokeswoman Alicia Agent on May 10 – just four days before he was arrested in Santa Cruz – announcing Kohut’s arrival.
“We are very excited to welcome Dr. Kohut and his wife Karen to Sparks. As many of you know, he will provide a much needed service to this area. As a neurosurgeon, Dr. Kohut provides treatment for patients suffering from neck, back, arm or sciatic nerve pain,” Agent wrote.
“I had the pleasure of interviewing our new neurosurgeon a couple weeks ago and he left me with some great advice: ‘Always take the dreams of children seriously, because sometimes they come true,’” Agent wrote.
Watsonville police Capt. Jorge Zamora said a press conference will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday to disclose more information about the investigation.
Kohut and Brandon remained behind bars at the Santa Cruz County Jail as of Monday afternoon, according to inmate records. (LINK)—5/15/2017
Tucson woman arrested in California child sex case
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — A third person was identified Tuesday who was arrested along with a Santa Cruz neurosurgeon and nurse in a disturbing child sex abuse case.
Emily Joy Stephens, 29, was arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting six young children in Santa Cruz County, according to court documents obtained by KSBW.
Stephens works as a nurse in Pima County, Arizona.
District Attorney Jeff Rosell charged Stephens with committing sexual penetration, oral copulation, and sodomy against three children who are younger than 10-years-old. She is also charged with forcing lewd acts against three children who are younger than 14.
Court documents state that all of the child sex crimes happened on May 9, 2017.
Stephens is accused along with Dominican Hospital nurse Rashel Brandon, 42, of Watsonville, and neurosurgeon James Kohut, 57, of Santa Cruz.
The Watsonville Police Department is in charge of the investigation.
Stephens was arrested May 12 in Arizona, and she is currently locked in the Pima County Jail. KSBW is working to obtain Stephens’ mug shot.
Because of the number of victims, if a jury finds her guilty, Stephens could be sentenced to life in prison.
Brandon was arrested on May 9 at a home on Cirvelo Street in Watsonville. She is charged with eight felony counts of child sex abuse, including sodomy, oral copulation, and forcing lewd acts.
According to her Facebook page, Brandon is an ICU staff nurse at Dominican Hospital, and a mother of two. She pleaded not guilty.
Kohut worked as a neurosurgeon at Sutter Maternity and Surgery Center, as well as Dominican Hospital, for several years. The married doctor was arrested May 14 at his Santa Cruz home on 4th Avenue by Watsonville police officers.
Kohut left Palo Alto Medical Foundation last year, and he was just hired a few days ago as a neurosurgeon in Arkansas by Sparks Health System.
Nurses who worked with Kohut told KSBW that the neurosurgeon was fired from his job in Santa Cruz because he was making unwanted sexual advances toward females nurses. Dominican Hospital declined to discuss any allegations against Kohut or Brandon.
Kohut is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday morning.
The breaking news story will be updated. (LINK)—5/16/2016
Santa Cruz neurosurgeon James Kohut pleads not guilty to child molestation
SANTA CRUZ >> Santa Cruz brain surgeon James Kohut pleaded not guilty in Santa Cruz County Superior Court Friday to 10 charges in connection with raping and molesting multiple children with two nurses.
Kohut lacked expression as he studied court documents and sat in his wrinkled orange jumpsuit. His hair was disheveled and, unlike his glances across the courtroom during a previous appearance, he made no eye contact with the packed gallery before Superior Court Judge John Salazar. He slumped in his chair, head down.
On May 9, in the presence of the two nurses, the 57-year-old former Palo Alto Medical Foundation doctor allegedly sodomized, had intercourse and oral sex with two boys younger than 10 years old, according to court documents.
Flanked by their attorneys, former Dominican Hospital nurse Rashel Brandon and Santa Cruz neurosurgeon James Kohut apprear in court Friday. Kohut, far right, pleaded not guilty to charges of raping children. Two Deputy Attorneys General for California, at left, also attended the hearing in Judge John Salazar’s court. (Dan Coyro — Santa Cruz Sentinel)
Kohut is accused of having sex with a boy and girl younger than 10 years old, and a boy younger than 14 years old, in the last 16 months. He faces 10 felonies alleging he engaged in oral sex, intercourse and forced lewd acts on children. Six of the charges can warrant life sentences.
Kohut hired Santa Cruz attorney Jay Rorty, who made a special appearance Friday. Rorty replaces San Jose attorney Nicholas Cvietkovich, who withdrew from the case during the hearing. It is unclear why the new attorney was hired. Neither counselor commented on the reasons for the change.
Salazar approved media requests for photos during the hearing but said publicity could become a concern in the high-profile case.
“At some point, it could become too much,” Salazar said.
A former Dominican Hospital nurse who allegedly conspired with Kohut, accused child molester Rashel Brandon, also made an appearance Friday. Brandon ran her fingers through her hair and sighed as she sat in a red jumpsuit in front of Kohut, in the otherwise empty jury box.
She faces eight felonies linked with sex crimes involving children.
Brandon’s brother, Isaac Lynn of San Jose, said his family is supporting Brandon during a difficult time.
“The family is coping,” Lynn said. “All the family members love her for who she is.”
Lynn, a Marine Corps veteran, said the family hopes she “stays in the right frame of mind.”
He declined to comment on details about the family’s communications with Brandon or her demeanor before and after her arrest.
LICENSE IN QUESTION
Counsel from the Attorney General of California also attended the hearing after a motion was filed May 22 to request the court to suspend Kohut’s medical privileges with his terms of potential release. A Medical Board of California spokeswoman has said the board would revoke Kohut’s license if he is convicted.
Kohut still has an active license to practice medicine in California. He also has suspended medical licenses in Alabama and Arkansas. His credentials in those states were put on hold in light of the allegations in Santa Cruz County.
California deputy attorneys general Emily Brinkman and Tim McDonough attended the hearing on behalf of the Medical Board of California. The medical board worries that Kohut would be a danger to patients, if released on bail. At the moment, Kohut is being held without bail at Santa Cruz County Jail.
The request to suspend Kohut’s medical license will be considered during the June 27 proceeding. The medical board has the authority to revoke the medical license. Until then, the court is the sole authority that can decide on the license.
The deputy attorneys general also attended to make a similar request to suspend Brandon’s nursing license. Brinkman and McDonough both declined comment Friday.
LENGTHY CASE
Assistant District Attorney Steve Moore said the case likely will be lengthy with volumes of reports.
Moore said Kohut’s new attorney appointment doesn’t change the course of the case.
A bail hearing for Kohut and Brandon is slated 8:15 a.m. June 27.
The second nurse, Emily Stephens, is accused of conspiring with Kohut and molesting children in Santa Cruz County. Stephens is in custody at Pima County Jail in Tucson, Arizona. The prosecution is searching for a governor’s warrant for her to be brought to Santa Cruz from Tucson.
Moore said it is unclear when Stephens will appear for proceedings in Santa Cruz. He said the governor’s warrant could be issued in the next three months. Stephens is held without bail, according to jail records.
THE EVIDENCE
On May 9, a Watsonville resident gave police a video, shot in March, of the two nurses, Brandon and Stephens, having sex with children as young as 3 years old in a Scotts Valley motel, Watsonville police said. Police declined to identify the person who provided authorities with the video. The evidence triggered allegations that Kohut also had forced girls and boys to have sex with him multiple times since Jan. 1, 2016, according to court documents.
The first arrested was Brandon, 42, at her four-bedroom Cirvelo Street home in Watsonville about 7:30 p.m. May 10. Brandon is held at the county jail in lieu of $500,000 bail.
Police linked evidence to Stephens, 29, the next to be arrested.
Evidence seized May 14 at a Santa Cruz home fueled Kohut’s arrest. (LINK)—5/26/2017
Second lawsuit accuses Dr. James Kohut of malpractice at Dominican Hospital
SANTA CRUZ >> It has been almost a year since Adam Tovar had a severe headache — and an apparent lack of immediate medical care — that ended up killing him at Dominican Hospital, according to a suit filed in Santa Cruz County Superior Court.
It was the second malpractice case filed this year accusing suspected child molester Dr. James Kohut and his previous employers of botched surgeries at Dominican Hospital. The first case involved Wendell Driver, a patient who had the wrong size screws placed in his neck in October 2016. That patient cannot find a doctor in the San Francisco Bay Area to correct the error, Stockton attorney Stewart Tabak said.
The latest suit accuses Kohut of failing to operate on Tovar’s brain in time to save his life and questions whether Kohut’s alleged crimes affected the brain surgeon’s performance at work. The suit also challenges the hospital for employing a doctor with disciplinary actions for downloading porn at work and operating on the wrong side of a patient’s brain more than a decade ago at another hospital.
Tovar, who lived in Felton and had no spouse nor children, died Feb. 18, 2017. Tovar’s parents and siblings filed suit against Kohut, Kohut Medical Inc., Dominican Hospital, Dignity Health and Palo Alto Foundation Medical Group.
Dominican Hospital spokeswoman Felicity Simmons said she was unable to comment on a pending lawsuit.
Kohut assessed Tovar more than 12 hours after a Dominican Hospital radiologist on Feb. 14, 2017, notified the surgeon about enlarged cavities inside the patient’s brain. Tovar’s condition was “critical,” according to the suit.
The patient had a failing shunt, Phoenix, Arizona, malpractice attorney Burt Rosenblatt wrote. A shunt is a tube that drains excess fluid from the brain to the chest or abdomen to keep the ventricles, the cavities inside the brain, a normal size, according to Stanford Health Care.
The suit claims Tovar died as a result of negligence and carelessness from a doctor the Tovar family did not choose.
“And defendants knew or should have known that allowing his condition to go without timely treatment would almost certainly result in his demise,” Rosenblatt wrote.
Rosenblatt told the Sentinel he made attempts to contact the defendants before filing the suit but received no response.
Simmons, the Dominican Hospital spokeswoman, declined to comment on the allegation.
CRIMINAL CASE
Kohut, 57, was arrested in May 2017 in connection with raping children at a Santa Cruz resort, a Scotts Valley motel and other locations. Kohut initially faced 11 charges, which increased to 48 felonies after police gained video evidence filmed in Watsonville some time between Jan. 1 and May 9, 2017, according to court documents. Kohut’s bail terms prohibit him from practicing medicine if he is released from jail.
Kohut is accused of raping children with two conspirators. Emily Stephens, 30, of Tucson, Arizona, is charged with 45 felonies. Rashel Brandon, 43, faces 44 felonies. Bail was set at $15 million for each defendant in the consolidated cases. All defendants were at Santa Cruz County Jail on Tuesday. A preliminary hearing is set for 9 a.m. March 12 in Superior Court.
CREDENTIALS QUESTIONED
The suit questions whether the criminal allegations interfered with Kohut’s medical duties in Tovar’s case.
Punitive damages will be sought if evidence supports claims that Tovar suffered as a result of Kohut’s “involvement in illegal, vulgar, lewd or inappropriate behavior of molesting children or having sexual affairs with others on the date in issue while he was charged with attending to decedent Adam Tovar in a timely manner,” Rosenblatt wrote.
The suit also accuses Dignity Health and Dominican Hospital of negligence for employing Kohut, who had been placed on probation by the California Medical Board for operating on the wrong side of a patient’s head in 2002 and downloading pornography while working at the University of California Medical Center.
“His prior credentials and behavior at other hospitals should have alerted defendant Dignity Health and/or Dignity Health Dominican Hospital that he was a person unfit to be a physician at the facility,” Rosenblatt wrote.
A case-management conference is scheduled for the suit 8:30 a.m. May 21 in Superior Court. (LINK)—2/13/2018
MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—144446 DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—None listed as of 5/12/2017 CAUGHT
UCSF Psychiatrist, Housemate Arrested On Child Porn Charges
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) — After a lengthy investigation, San Francisco police detectives have arrested a University of California, San Francisco psychiatry resident and his housemate on charges of unloading and trading child pornography on the internet, authorities announced Thursday.
Authorities said 36-year-old Billy Lockhart has been charged with possession of child pornography, possession of over 600 files of child pornography, and distribution of child pornography.
Lockhard is listed on the UCSF website as a psychiatry resident in the Class of 2019.
Detectives with the SFPD Internet Crimes Against Children unit began investigating Lockhart in March. During that time they determined that he had used the UCSF internet network to upload child pornography.
Armed with a warrant, detectives searched Lockhart’s residence in the 100 block of Buena Vista Terrace.
During the search, investigators located numerous media devices belonging to Lockhart, which all contained hundreds of child pornography videos and images.
Investigators were able to gather evidence that Lockhart was also viewing child pornography. Another resident at the home was also arrested, 33-year-old Benjamin Martin. Investigators located hundreds of child files on media devices belonging to Martin.
Both were arrested at the home.
Martin was charged for possession of child pornography, and possession of over 600 files of child pornography.
Police urged anyone who may have been a victim or had any suspicious contact with Lockhart or Martin to contact the SFPD Special Victims Unit at (415) 558-5500. (LINK)—5/11/2017
MEDICAL BOARD RECORD— 133480 DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—None listed as of 5/09/2017
Contra Costa Sheriff: Doctor Arrested in Sexual Assault Case
Detectives from the Special Victims Unit of the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff Investigation Division on Monday arrested 36-year-old Rajesh Kumar Singla of Milpitas for multiple counts of sexual assault charges.
Singla is a family medicine doctor, who is a member of the John Muir Health physician network. His office is located at 1450 Treat Boulevard in unincorporated Contra Costa County.
Complaints from a female patient against Singla were reported to the Office of the Sheriff earlier this month. Following an investigation, detectives arrested Singla without incident at his office after receiving an arrest warrant.
Singla was booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on two counts of sexual battery, two counts of indecent exposure, and one count of attempted oral copulation. He was being held in lieu of $130,000 bail. Singla bailed out early this morning.
Detectives believe there may be additional victims. Anyone with any information or who believes they are a victim is asked to call detectives at (925) 313-2621.
For any tips, please email: [email protected]or call 866-846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message. (LINK)—5/09/2017
Walnut Creek: Ex-doctor takes house arrest in sexual assault of patient
MARTINEZ — A former physician at a John Muir outpatient center who had been charged with sexually assaulting a patient and attempting to force himself on her took a plea deal and eight months of house arrest.
Rajesh Singla, 37, will serve three years probation in addition to the 240 days of house arrest, and was served with a 10-year restraining order for his victim. The deal also required “certain sex offender terms,” but not registration, according to prosecutors.
Singla was arrested and charged with six offenses last year, including attempted forcible oral copulation, sexual battery by restraint, assault and indecent exposure. Authorities say Singla’s behavior toward the woman, a patient of his, escalated over multiple visits: He started with making lewd comments, tried to grope her, exposed himself and eventually tried to force her to perform oral sex on him.
The evidence against Singla included a pretext call between him and the woman, where he insisted he respected her and apologized for masturbating in front of her, saying it would never happen again, according to court records.
Singla’s medical license has been temporarily suspended and last August the state began the process of making that permanent now that the criminal case has finished.
Prosecutor Jordan Sanders said the woman found the behavior “just gross” at first, but did not report him until after the final encounter when it became too “egregious” to ignore. He said prosecutors discussed the deal with her before it was approved.
“We spoke with her at length … she’s pleased with the resolution, and happy he’s not going be practicing medicine, and be around other patients,” Sanders said. He added that Singla had left a vague voicemail on the woman’s phone, which said he needed to talk to her about her health, to lure her back to the hospital.
Singla’s attorney, Michael Markowitz, called the case a “he-said, she-said situation to some degree,” and that the woman had come back for multiple follow-ups after the first encounter. But he conceded his client had acted “made mistakes.”
“His wife and family were very supportive of him the entire time,” Markowitz said. “The key for us (on the plea deal) was making sure nothing interfered with him being able to stay home with them.” (LINK)—4/07/2018
CALIFORNIA MEDICAL BOARD RECORD— 55472 DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—License renewed & current; Limits on practice; Felony conviction; Probation
San Jose Doctor Charged with Embezzling Cancer Research Funds
From the exam room to the courtroom: A former Santa Clara Valley Medical Center radiologist has been charged with stealing nearly $50,000 from the hospital.
The money was intended to help advance cancer research.
Dr. Tri Minh Do will be arraigned next week. He allegedly cashed $46,000 in checks intended to reimburse the hospital for cancer research expenses and used the money to pay his own bills.
The 45-year-old began working at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in March 2002. The county says he left the hospital in February of this year. His last annual salary was more than $293,000.
The district attorney’s office confirms Dr. Do is now practicing medicine in Fresno, but he will be back in San Jose later this month to answer to charges that he embezzled from the hospital.
“He opened up a separate account with a ‘doing business as’ Santa Clara County Valley Medical Center, and so he was able to cash all the checks in that separate account,” Deputy District Attorney Judy Lee said.
That money that was supposed to go toward reimbursing the hospital for prostate cancer research.
“He spent the money to pay off his credit cards,” Lee said. “He also wrote checks to himself and checks to help his parents pay off their mortgage.”
The research money came from the American College of Radiology, which issued a statement Wednesday, saying, “The ACR has been cooperating with The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s investigation for several months. The college remains a strong supporter of clinical research initiatives nationwide.”
The alleged embezzlement was uncovered late last year, after Do stopped working at the medical center and reimbursement checks kept coming to the hospital from the American College of Radiology, Lee said.
If convicted, Dr. Do could face four years in state prison.
Attempts to reach Dr. Do’s attorney were unsuccessful.
Dr. Do will be back in court in San Jose on Sept. 13 for arraignment.
Do’s parents had no idea where about the scheme and are not facing criminal charges, Lee said. (LINK)—9/04/2013
San Jose doctor convicted of embezzling more than $50,000 from hospital
SAN JOSE (KRON) — A doctor has been convicted of embezzling more than $50,000 from a San Jose hospital by misappropriating money meant for a cancer research study, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office said.
A jury found Dr. Tri Minh Do, 48, of San Jose, guilty of embezzling more than $50,000 in federal grant money, which was supposed to reimburse Santa Clara Valley Medical Center for a study on cancer patients, prosecutors said.
“This case was about a violation of trust,” Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Judy Lee said in a statement.
“It is disappointing that a hospital cannot trust its own doctor to protect precious grant money intended for patient care,” Lee said.
The embezzlement was discovered in 2012, when the hospital found reimbursement checks from the American College of Radiology in Do’s work mail after he was fired from his job as a doctor with Valley Medical Center, prosecutors said.
Do was overseeing a breast and prostate cancer study and deposited $51,400 into his private Wells Fargo account, according to prosecutors.
Do used some of the money to purchase gifts for his family, according to prosecutors.
The funds were also used to pay off a mortgage for a family home and cash withdrawals. The transactions were made without the hospital’s knowledge, according to prosecutors.
Do faces up to four years in prison when he is sentenced April 18, prosecutors said. (LINK)—2/05/2016
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