MEDIA
Lieve Thienpont, Belgium Psychiatrist – to stand trial on suspicion of poisoning in euthanasia case
Christian Today Belgium launches criminal investigation into doctors who euthanised 38-year-old woman with autism By Staff writer November 30, 2018 Psychiatrist Lieve Thienpont Authorities in Belgium have launched a criminal investigation into a group of doctors who euthanised a 38-year-old woman with autism. Tine Nys was euthanised in 2010 two months after she was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome but her family question the speed with which the diagnosis was made and allege numerous irregularities in her death. According to the Brussels Times, the family's formal complaint also claimed that the life-ending drugs had been administered in an 'amateurish' way. [...]
Psychiatrist Vincent Berg, Australia, sentenced to 4 years and 3 months in prison for repeated fraud and forgery
Union of Orthodox Journalists Founder of Ukrainian schism accused of fraud and forgery Editorial board November 27 2018 Psychiatrist Vincent Berg aka Vikentiy Chekalin Vikentiy Chekalin, who “ordained” “bishops” of the UAOC, being deprived of his rank by the ROC for immoral acts, was sentenced to 4 years in prison in Australia. In Australia, Southport County Court in Queensland sentenced 67-year-old Vincent Berg to 4 years and 3 months in prison for the repeated fraud and forgery. It is reported by the Greek agency Romfea. Vincent Berg (pseudo. Vikentiy Chekalin, - Ed. note), who migrated from Russia in the [...]
Dishonest, Foul-mouthed psychiatrist Marinus Klijnsma who abused staff and said a patient could go ‘kill herself’ faces revocation of license
Daily Mail By Daily Mail Reporter December 9, 2013 Psychiatrist Marinus Klijnsma committed the charges while working at the Gables (pictured) A foul-mouthed psychiatrist who swore at staff and said a patient ‘can just go and kill herself’ faces being struck off after being found guilty of misconduct. Dr Marinus Klijnsma told a tribunal that his use of inappropriate and offensive language was a ‘dysfunctional habit’ that got worse over the years. Some of his secretaries received angry voicemail messages in which he asked: ‘Where the f**k are you?’ In another voicemail he said: ‘Whenever I f**king ring you, [...]
Aubrey Levin, Psychiatrist; His wife in Hot Water for Attempting to Bribe Juror in his Criminal Case
Calgary Herald Jury selected for wife of disgraced doctor in bribery case By Daryl Slade September 24, 2014 A nine-woman, three-man jury has been selected to decide the fate of Erica Levin, wife of disgraced forensic psychiatrist Aubrey Levin, for allegedly attempting to bribe a juror at her husband’s sexual assault trial early last year. The jury selection was a rarely-used ‘challenge for cause’ format in which Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Patrick Sullivan asked the potential jurors up to three questions related to their knowledge of pre-trial publicity in order to test whether they could be impartial in their [...]
Texas Psychiatrist James Grigson, “Dr. Death” – expelled from the American Psychiatric Association and the Texas Society of Psychiatric Physicians
Texas Tribune Texas Court of Criminal Appeals rules against death row inmate Jeff Wood The court denied relief on Wednesday to Wood, who never killed anyone, granting the state the opportunity to set another execution date for the 1996 murder of a store clerk in Kerrville. By Hannah Wiley November 21, 2018 Texas Psychiatrist James Grigson The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has rejected a bid by death row inmate Jeff Wood to reconsider his death sentence, granting the state the opportunity to set another execution date for Wood, whose case gained national attention because of his role as [...]
BAL BANSAL – Kentucky Psychiatrist’s license restricted for an indefinite period of time
"Detective Sergeant Jim Goble contacted the Board's Medical Investigator to report the overdose death of Patient A, to whom the licensee has prescribed Gabapentin and Oxycodone, and to request a Board investigation pf the licensee's prescribing practices. According to the Autopsy Report, dated March 25, 2013, Patient A's cause of death was accidental acute gabapentin toxicity and the manner of death was accidental." COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY BOARD OF MEDICAL LICENSURE CASE NO. 1541 IN RE: THE LICENSE TO PRACTICE MEDICINE IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY HELD BY BAL K. BANSAL, M.D., LICENSE NO. 22004, 700 ST. CHRISTOPHER DRIVE, SUITE 101, [...]
Peter McCarthy, Perth Psychiatrist, sentenced to prison, had a sexual relationship with a patient then tried to convince her not to co-operate with authorities
9News WA doctor jailed over patient relationship November 22, 2018 Psychiatrist Peter McCarthy An experienced Perth psychiatrist who had a sexual relationship with a patient then tried to convince her not to co-operate with authorities during disciplinary proceedings against him, has been sentenced to one year in prison. Peter David McCarthy, 68, was found guilty of attempting to pervert the course of justice in April last year when he urged the woman, who cannot be named, not to co-operate with the State Administrative Tribunal. He also had other conversations with her in the preceding two years about the same [...]
Douglas Murphy, San Luis Obispo psychiatrist, placed on probation for the second time by the California Medical Board
CalCoastNews.com San Luis Obispo psychiatrist penalized for patient suicide By Josh Friedman November 23, 2018 Psychiatrist Douglas Murphy A practicing psychiatrist, who is the president and CEO of a San Luis Obispo psychiatric practice, has for the second time been placed on probation by the California Medical Board after one of his patients committed suicide. Douglas Murphy, a licensed medical doctor, is the president and CEO of Pacific Psychiatry, located at 1551 Bishop Street, according to his LinkedIn page. Murphy established a personal practice in 2002 in Morro Bay, which later became Pacific Psychiatry in San Luis Obispo. [Cal [...]
West Virginia Psychiatrist Joseph Jurand convicted of sexual abuse of 15-year-old Girl Interested in Psychiatry
The Journal Sentencing hearing set for Dec. 9 for psychiatrist convicted of sexual abuse By Edward Marshall November 1, 2013 Psychiatrist Joseph Jurand CHARLES TOWN - A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for Dec. 9 for a Jefferson County psychiatrist convicted last month of having inappropriate sexual contact with a 15-year-old girl while she was participating in a Shepherdstown community theater group. According to court records, 61-year-old Joseph Anthony Jurand, of Shepherdstown Pike, Shenandoah Junction, pleaded guilty Sept. 30 to one count of an indictment charging him with misdemeanor third-degree sexual abuse as part of a plea agreement. The [...]
Allen Weiss, Delaware Psychiatrist Arrested for holding patient in his office against her will
The News Journal (Wilmington, Delaware) June 11, 2010 Psychiatrist charged in assault on new patient By Ira Porter A Milford-area psychiatrist was arrested Wednesday morning on assault and unlawful imprisonment charges after one of his patients accused him of holding her in his office against her will. The 28-year-old patient who accused Dr. Allen C. Weiss, 64, of assaulting her told police that she had gone for a new patient appointment to his office in the 100 block of Russell Road. According to court papers, the woman spoke with Weiss about her mental health condition and said that she was [...]
Robert Sack, Maryland Psychiatrist, surrendered license – “romantic relationship” with a former patient
USA TODAY NETWORK Doctors who surrender medical license in one state still practice in others More than 250 doctors who surrendered a medical license were able to practice in another state, an investigation by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, USA TODAY and MedPage Today found. By John Fauber and Matt Wynn November 30, 2018 ---Excerpt Secretive system hides problems In some states, surrenders are particularly secretive — leaving patients in the dark about what happened. Records show that psychiatrist Robert Sack permanently surrendered his Maryland license in 2012 rather than face discipline — but his public file does not spell out [...]
Psychiatrist Omar Sabadia, South Africa, Murdered Wife, Gets out of Prison in 2019
Centurion Rekord UPDATE: Convicted murderer Omar Sabadia to be paroled next year Sabadia, a trained psychiatrist, was found guilty in 1998 of the kidnapping and murder of his wife Zahida Sabadia. November 28, 2018 Psychiatrist Omar Sabadia The man imprisoned for 50 years for the kidnapping and murder of his wife in 1996 will be released on parole in May 2019. In June this year, the Gauteng correctional services department applied for Omar Sabadia to be released on parole. “The department applied for the reconsideration of the parole review board’s decision not to release Sabadia in April,” said department [...]
Puerto Rican Psychiatrist Gerardo V. Navarro Rodriguez Arrested for Child Sex Trafficking
elnuevodia.com Pediatric psychiatrist arrested for sexual abuse He faces a sentence of up to 10 years in prison By Mariana Cobián / mariana.cobian @ gfrmedia.com Psychiatrist Gerardo V. Navarro Rodriguez The pediatric psychiatrist Gerardo V. Navarro Rodriguez, 59, was arrested yesterday for sexual transporting at least two males under 18 years, who were his patients. Yesterday agents of the Office of Internal Security Service of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE-HSI) arrested psychiatrist specializing in children and adolescents in their office in Caguas after one of the alleged injured, identified as John Doe # 1, a teacher recount what was happening [...]
Aussie Psychiatrist Robert Hampshire Has History of Bizarre Behavior – Now Blames Brain Swelling
Sydney Morning Herald Psychiatrist waits on medical tribunal to decide on complaints September 20, 2013 Psychiatrist Robert Hampshire Society psychiatrist Robert Hampshire has been accused of professional misconduct, practising without professional indemnity insurance and failing to meet strict conditions placed on his registration, including making daily visits to a doctor to ensure he was "fit to practise" before seeing patients. The accusations come almost 20 years after he was found guilty of professional misconduct in December 1994 for stealing prescription forms he then forged to feed his pethidine addiction. Struck off for two years, he was not allowed back [...]
John Reading
Tampa Tribune By LENNY SAVINO TAMPA - The line of women accusing former University of South Florida chief psychiatrist Anthony John Reading of groping them during therapy sessions is getting longer. Last week, a fourth patient reported that at her final session in December 2003, Reading fondled her and forced her to kiss him. In her report to the Department of Health, the patient said she was treated for depression by Reading for five years. Like the other women who have come forward with accusations, she was wrestling with self-esteem issues after a divorce. Others had broken up with a [...]
Psychiatrists Statistically are the Worst
The Burlington Free Press (Burlington, VT) Vermont psychiatrists disciplined at higher rate By Stephen Kiernan May 26, 2002 The woman was in a vulnerable state. She turned to a psychiatrist for help. Instead of receiving therapy, the patient wound up having sex with the doctor. The experience left her "damaged," said Torin Togut of Vermont Protection and Advocacy. "The clinical relationship and the sexual relationship cannot co-exist. It is clearly improper." Physician ethics prohibit it. Worse still, the problem extended beyond one woman. Her experience remains confidential, so later patients never learned about her psychiatrist's conduct. The case is not [...]
Feds Nab Miami Psychiatrist Barry Kaplowitz – Medicare Fraud – Judge declares: “It’s outrageous”
Miami Herald Federal agents round up South Florida doctor and others in Medicare fraud takedown By Jay Weaver May 12, 2014 Psychiatrist Barry Kaplowitz When about 20 newly arrested Medicare fraud suspects appeared in Miami federal court on Monday, one stood out: Dr. Barry Kaplowitz. The Aventura psychiatrist served as the medical director of an outpatient mental health facility in Hollywood that federal prosecutors say generated $7.5 million in false claims for Medicare patients who did not need psychiatric treatment. So when Justice Department attorneys asked Magistrate Judge Patrick White to give the former Hollywood Pavilion doctor a bond [...]
Erum Shahab – Psychiatrist Fined $60,000 for Not Keeping Track of Drugs on her Shelves
Hartford Courant Psychiatrist Reprimanded In Treatment Of Opiate Addicts July 15, 2014 By Josh Kovner An Ellington psychiatrist who has paid $60,000 in state and federal fines to settle violations in the way she dispensed medication to treat opiate addicts was reprimanded Tuesday by the Medical Examining Board, ending discipline in the case. Dr. Erum Shahab, who practices at 105 West Road, was investigated by federal drug agents and the state Department of Consumer Protection in 2010 and 2011 for her failure to properly dispense Suboxone. The drug is in high demand as an alternative to Methadone for people who [...]
Deborah Pitt, UK Psychiatrist: “being straight was ‘preferable’ to being gay, because ‘there’s so much more potential’ for a person”
ITV Charity Commission to review 'gay conversion' allegations following ITV News investigation By Paul Brand, Political Correspondent November 15, 2018 Psychiatrist Deborah Pitt The Charity Commission is urgently looking into two charitable organisations, exposed by ITV News this week, which claim people can change their sexuality. A spokesperson said “We are aware of serious concerns regarding Journey UK and World Mission Agency – Winners Chapel International. The public rightly expect charities to be places in which people can feel safe and free from harm, so reports of this nature are of serious concern to the Commission. We are currently [...]
Pregnant Doctor Labeled by Oregon Psychiatrist Howard Sampley – So She Sued him for $2 Million
The Register-Guard ER doctor sues psychiatrist By Greg Bolt Dec 31, 2013 Psychiatrist Howard Russell Sampley An emergency room doctor in Coos Bay is suing a Eugene psychiatrist for more than $2 million over an alleged misdiagnosis that required the doctor to temporarily withdraw from practicing medicine. The lawsuit filed by Dr. Susan Haney in Lane County Circuit Court accuses Dr. Howard Sampley of mistaking the side effects of a medication for a mental disorder and then reporting Haney to the state Medical Board. The board opened an investigation, and Haney agreed to withdraw from her medical practice while [...]
Drowned in a Stream of Prescriptions
New York Times By ALAN SCHWARZ February 2, 2013 Psych Charles Parker “I do feel partially responsible for what happened to this kid.” VIRGINIA BEACH — Every morning on her way to work, Kathy Fee holds her breath as she drives past the squat brick building that houses Dominion Psychiatric Associates. It was there that her son, Richard, visited a doctor and received prescriptions for Adderall, an amphetamine-based medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It was in the parking lot that she insisted to Richard that he did not have A.D.H.D., not as a child and not now as a [...]
Charles Curran, Mass. Psychiatrist, Prolific Prescriber, Says Psych Drugs “Tickle the Brain”
ProPublica Fall River doctor among top tranquilizer prescribers in US By Charles Ornstein and Ryann Grochowski Jones June 10, 2015 Psychiatrist Charles Curran Doctors around the nation wrote nearly 40 million prescriptions for tranquilizers such as Ativan and Xanax to Medicare patients in 2013, the first year its prescription drug program covered the medications, according to a review of federal data. Among the top prescribers in the nation is a Fall River psychiatrist, Dr. Claude Curran, who wrote more than 11,700 prescriptions for the drugs, including refills -- ranking him behind only four other doctors, all from Puerto Rico. [...]
James Sutherland Watt, Sausalito Psychiatrist, arrested after authorities found a large quantity of LSD on his yacht
Independent Press Telegram (Long Beach, California) Court Action Faces Yank Smuggler VICTORIA, BC. (UPI) November 2, 1968 A California psychiatrist, arrested after authorities found a large quantity of LSD and methedrine about his yacht, appeared in Magistrate’s Court Friday on smuggling charges. Dr. James Sutherland Watt of Sausalito entered no plea to a charge of “unlawfully importing goods into Canada.” He was released in his own recognizance until Monday. Watt was arrested Oct. 24 when he docked his Seattle-registered yacht Navita for repairs after being blown off course during a storm near Cape Flattery. A royal Canadian Mounted Police spokesman [...]
Psychiatrist Robert Dragert, New Jersey, Suspended – accused of “indiscriminately” prescribing addictive drugs
Courier-Post License suspended for doctor at Medford practice By Jim Walsh November 1, 2018 Prescription Drugs Psychiatrist Robert Dragert TRENTON – A state board has suspended the license of a psychiatrist accused of "indiscriminately" prescribing addictive drugs at a Burlington County practice. Dr. Robert J. Dragert received a two-year suspension and was barred from solo practice, the state Attorney General’s Office said in a statement Thursday. He was accused of prescribing drugs “without appropriate screening and/or medical justification” while working one day a week as a private practitioner in Medford. Dragert agreed to the suspension under a consent order [...]
Perth Psychiatrist Aaron Voon
WA psychiatrist who filmed young boys urinating banned from practising for three years By Heather McNeill November 8, 2018 Perth psychiatrist Aaron Voon A prominent Perth child psychiatrist who secretly filmed young boys' genitals as they urinated in public toilets will be able to return to his profession in three years. Dr Aaron Voon, the former director of Cockburn Central's Successful Development and Therapy Centre, narrowly avoided a jail term in September 2017, over eight child pornography-related charges. A District Court of Western Australia judge heard at the time that Voon had an obsession with urination. He received a [...]