10/08/2025
PODIATRISTS AND THE LAW
RI Podiatrist Faces Domestic Violence Charge
NBC 10 News has obtained court documents regarding a domestic violence charge against a Rhode Island foot doctor. He’s believed to have a connection to a potential cast member of Bravo’s highly anticipated show, The Real Housewives of Rhode Island. Brian Pontarelli, a podiatrist, is accused of placing an electronic tracking device in or on a car without consent, which is a misdemeanor domestic violence offense. Pontarelli is set to be arraigned in court Tuesday.
Source: Molly Levine, WJAR News 10 (NBC) [10/6/25]
09/25/2025
PODIATRISTS AND THE LAW
CA Podiatrist Pleads Guilty to Skin Graft Related Fraud
Felipe Ruiz, DPM, 51, of Fresno, and Jose Gabriel Aguirre, 52, of Clovis, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced. According to court documents, Ruiz was a podiatrist at West Coast Podiatry Inc. (WCP), a podiatric medical practice. Aguirre was a sales representative that sold skin grafts to Ruiz and WCP. Ruiz purchased skin grafts from Aguirre and permitted Aguirre, who was not a licensed healthcare provider, to apply the skin grafts to Medicare and Medi-Cal beneficiaries. Ruiz and Aguirre face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice [9/22/25]
08/29/2025
PODIATRISTS AND THE LAW
KY Podiatrist Indicted on Alleged Sex Abuse Charge
An Owensboro podiatrist has been indicted by the Daviess grand jury on a charge of sexual abuse, for allegedly forcing a woman to commit a sex act at his office. Dr. Sheldon D. Simon, 81, was indicted by the grand jury earlier this month, in connection with an incident that allegedly occurred June 2 when he asked a homeless woman to clean his office and forced her to perfrm a sex act.
Source: James Mayse, Messenger-Inquirer [8/27/25]
08/27/2025
PODIATRISTS AND THE LAW
NY Podiatrist Admits Role In Second Plot To Kill His Wife
A Hudson Valley podiatrist who once gained national notoriety for plotting to kill his wife has now admitted guilt in connection with a second murder-for-hire scheme, prosecutors announced. Rockland County resident Ira Bernstein, age 51, of Montebello, pleaded guilty to tampering with physical evidence in Rockland County Court, Rockland District Attorney Thomas E. Walsh II said on Monday, Aug. 25.
Source: Daily Voice [8/25/25]
08/19/2025
PODIATRISTS AND THE LAW
WY Podiatrist Pleads Guilty to One Additional Count of Sexual Abuse
A former podiatrist who was sentenced to prison earlier this year for sexual abuse of a minor pleaded guilty last month to one more count of sexual abuse. In January, Craig Capron, 60, was sentenced to six to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to four of 10 counts of second-degree sexual abuse of a minor in Campbell County. A sentencing date and a plea agreement were not available on the courts’ electronic docket system as of Thursday afternoon.
Source: Jonathan Gallardo, Gillette News Record [8/16/25]
08/16/2025
PODIATRISTS AND THE LAW
OH Podiatrist Sentenced for Enticing Minors to Send Sexually Explicit Videos
A 33-year-old man who was working as a podiatrist at an Adams County hospital when he enticed minors online to send him sexually explicit videos of themselves has been sentenced to a year in prison. Hayden Wolford, 33, lost his job at Adams County Regional Medical Center in August 2023, the same day investigators interviewed him at the hospital and searched his home, Wolford's attorney, Brandon Moermond, said in court documents. The sentence, which in addition to the prison time, includes 10 years of supervised release,
Source; Kevin Grasha, Cincinnati Enquirer [8/14/25]
06/30/2025
PODIATRISTS AND THE LAW
TX Podiatrist Charged in $45M Medicare Fraud Scheme
A podiatrist from The Woodlands and his business partner stole $45 million by fraudulently billing Medicare for "second skin" procedures he performed on patients who didn't need them, according to the Justice Department. Dr. David Jenson and Nestor Refael Romero Magallanes are also accused of trying to cover up the fraud after they became aware of a federal investigation into their business, Doctor's Inc.
Source: John Wayne Ferguson, Houston Chronicle [6/26/25]
06/18/2025
PODIATRISTS AND THE LAW
OH Podiatrist Pleads Guilty to Felony Drug Charges, Receives Probation
Podiatrist Priyanka J. Mude pleaded guilty to felony drug possession, forgery, and illegal processing of drug documents. Mude received three years of probation. Dr. Mude admitted writing fraudulent prescriptions for oxycodone, a federally controlled opioid pain reliever for her personal use.
Source: Canton Repository [6/16/25]
05/15/2025
INTERNATIONAL PODIATRISTS AND THE LAW
Aussie Podiatrist Fined for Practicing with a Lapsed License
A Gold Coast man who worked as a podiatrist without registration for over a year after his registration lapsed, has been fined $3,000. The man was the owner of a private podiatry business and treated patients while unregistered for over a year between January 2022 and February 2023. He pleaded guilty to a single charge of holding himself out as being a registered podiatrist while unregistered.
Source: Ahpra & National Boards [5/13/25]
05/12/2025
PODIATRISTS AND THE LAW
NY Podiatrist Accused of Sexually Abusing Woman
A 67-year-old podiatrist on Staten Island is accused of sexually abusing a woman last year. Dr. Anthony Olivieri was 66 years old when the alleged incident took place on the South Shore in October, according to the criminal complaint, which was based on an investigation by the NYPD’s Special Victims Unit. He was arrested on Jan. 19. His lawyer ‘categorically denies’ charges.
Source: Staten Island Advance/SILive.com [5/8/25]
04/18/2025
INTERNATIONAL PODIATRISTS AND THE LAW
Aussie Podiatrist Facing Drug Charges
Dr. Gerard Vincent Zammit, a well-known western suburbs podiatrist, has been accused of growing and dealing cannabis and having a personal supply of cocaine, following police raids on his home and a drug lab in Melbourne.
Source: Herald Sun [4/16/25]
04/14/2025
PODIATRISTS AND THE LAW
CA Podiatrist Indicted for False Claims Related to Skin Grafts
A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment today against Felipe Ruiz, 51, of Fresno, and Jose Gabriel Aguirre, 52, of Clovis, charging them with conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced. According to court documents, Dr. Ruiz was a podiatrist at West Coast Podiatry Inc. (WCP). Ruiz and Aguirre subsequently submitted claims to Medicare and Medi-Cal that falsely represented that Ruiz had applied the skin grafts to beneficiaries, when Aguirre had actually rendered the services. As a result, Medicare and Medi-Cal paid Ruiz millions of dollars for the false claims.
Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of California
02/17/2025
PODIATRISTS AND THE LAW
NJ Podiatrist Pleads Guilty to Healthcare Fraud Conspiracy
An Amtrak employee in New Jersey has become the latest to plead guilty to participation in a healthcare fraud scheme that led more than $11 million in fraudulent claims against the passenger carrier’s insurance. Podiatrist Michael DeNicola has also pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge; his sentencing is pending.
Source: Trains ,U.S. Dep't of Justice [2/12/25]
01/29/2025
PODIATRISTS AND THE LAW
FL Podiatrist Settles for Employing Receptionist on HHS-OIG Exclusions List
Individuals and organizations are regularly added to the HHS-OIG Exclusions List, and there are harsh penalties for engaging with or employing an excluded individual or organization. Adriana Strimbu, DPM, in Florida, employed a receptionist on the HHS-OIG exclusions list, resulting in products or services being billed to Medicare or Medicaid. The alleged violation was settled for $41,739.66.
Source: Steve Alder, The HIPAA Journal [1/27/25]
01/28/2025
PODIATRISTS AND THE LAW
WY Podiatrist Sentenced to 6-12 Years in Prison
Thursday morning, District Judge Michael McGrady sentenced Craig Capron to six to 12 years in prison, which will be followed by another six to 12 years in prison suspended in favor of five years of supervised probation. This means that if he violates his probation, the judge can impose the original six to 12 years. Capron, 59, had been charged with 10 counts of second-degree sexual abuse of a minor in Campbell County.
Source: Gillette News Record [1/25/25]
12/31/2024
PODIATRISTS AND THE LAW - PART 2
WY Podiatrist Charged with 8 More Counts of Sexual Abuse
A podiatrist who had pleaded guilty to four counts of sexual abuse of a minor in Campbell County has been arrested on eight new sexual abuse charges. Craig Capron has been charged in the Circuit Court of the 8th Judicial District with eight counts of sexual abuse of a minor. Two of the counts are first-degree sexual abuse, five are second-degree sexual abuse, and one count is third-degree, and are from as early as 2015 and as recent as 2023.
Source: Gillette News Record [12/28/24]
12/31/2024
PODIATRISTS AND THE LAW - PART 1
IL Podiatrist Who Killed Patient Among 37 Biden Spares from Death Row
President Joe Biden on Monday spared the lives of all but three of the people awaiting execution on federal death row, including Ronaldo Mikos, who was sentenced in 2005 for the killing of a federal grand jury witness in a Medicare fraud investigation. Biden’s action commutes their sentences to life imprisonment just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump, an outspoken proponent of expanding capital punishment, takes office. Mikos was a podiatrist in Chicago who shot 54-year-old Joyce Brannon, a nurse and former patient, six times at point-blank range in 2002, according to an Associated Press story published in 2006 by the Daily Journal in Kankakee. Mikos was also found guilty of defrauding Medicare, billing it for thousands of operations never performed to the tune of $1.8 million.
Source: Anna Schier, Yahoo News [12/23/24]
12/10/2024
QUERIES (PODIATRISTS AND THE LAW)
From: Jon Purdy, DPM
What is the liability of the compounding pharmacies in these schemes? It seems to me that if false representation was given as a legal endeavor, there would be some liability.
Jon Purdy, DPM, New Iberia, LA
11/25/2024
PODIATRISTS AND THE LAW
CA Podiatrist Settles fo $1.6 Million Over Alleged Rx Kickback Scheme
In a significant development concerning medical ethics and legal accountability, a Fresno doctor and his respective medical corporation have agreed to pay $1.6 million to settle allegations of participating in an illegal kickback scheme; the scheme involved receiving payments for prescribing medications through certain mail-order pharmacies, according to U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert's announcement. Dr. Jagpreet Mukker, a podiatrist, along with his medical corporation, Jay Mukker, DPM Inc., is parting with $1,598,891 to settle the claims. Dr. Mukker acknowledged and agreed not to dispute that from 2016 to 2020, he took payments tied to prescriptions he issued to a chain of mail-order pharmacies.
Source: Jennifer Martinez, hoodline.com [11/22/24]
11/22/2024
PODIATRISTS AND THE LAW
Prosecutors Say NY Podiatrist Involved in Foot Bath Fraud Scheme
A federal grand jury seated in Harrisburg returned indictments earlier this month against seven people, including the owner of the Sterling Pharmacy, in Jermyn, PA, where several of the purportedly fraudulent foot bath orders were routed. A Brooklyn-based podiatrist, Diana Castro, 53, approved hundreds of unnecessary prescription foot bath orders for patients recruited at health fairs in New York and by a diabetic shoe salesman in Scranton. Castro also allegedly used another physician's national provider identifier without their knowledge.
Source: Joe Kohut, WNEP.com [11/19/24]
10/24/2024
INTERNATIONAL PODIATRISTS AND THE LAW
Owner of Canadian Foot Clinic Charged with Voyeurism, Other Crimes
The owner of a Prince Edward Island foot clinic embroiled in allegations that he was working as a podiatrist without any formal credentials has been charged by Charlottetown police with several crimes unrelated to his podiatry practice. John Johnson, 26, was arrested and charged with trespassing, mischief, voyeurism, and committing an indecent act. He is also facing allegations that he called himself a doctor and performed medical procedures on hundreds of Islanders' feet without having any formal credentials.
Source: Ben Andrews, CBC News [10/21/24]
10/22/2024
PODIATRISTS AND THE LAW
WY Podiatrist Pleads Guilty to 4 Counts of 2nd Degree Sexual Abuse of a Minor
A podiatrist who practiced in Gillette and Douglas was accused of sexually abusing a girl over the span of eight years, and he has pleaded guilty to four counts of second-degree sexual abuse of a minor. Craig Capron, 59, pleaded guilty to groping a girl over and under her clothes and masturbating on her thighs. The state will recommend a six- to 12-year prison sentence, followed by a supervised probationary period.
Source: Gillette News Record [10/19/24]
06/28/2024
PODIATRISTS AND THE LAW
TN Podiatrist Sentenced for $4M Foot Bath Fraud Scheme
A Tennessee podiatrist was sentenced to four years in prison for a scheme to defraud Medicare and TennCare, a Medicaid program administered by the State of Tennessee, by prescribing and dispensing medically unnecessary foot bath medications and obtaining millions of dollars in reimbursements. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Nathan Lucas, DPM, 59, of Memphis, owned and operated a podiatry clinic and two pharmacies. Lucas regularly prescribed antibiotic and antifungal drugs to be mixed into a tub of water for patients to soak their feet.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice [6/27/24]
05/28/2024
PODIATRISTS AND THE LAW
FL Podiatrist Receives Two Life Sentences for Sexually Abusing Child
A local man convicted of sexually abusing a child received two life sentences this week. According to a news release from the State Attorney's Office of the 14th Judicial Circuit, 61-year-old Daniel Feitz of Panama City was sentenced Thursday to serve two life sentences: one for the sexual battery of a child younger than 12, and another for lewd or lascivious molestation. He also received a 15-year sentence for lewd or lascivious exhibition.
Source: Nathan Cobb, Panama City News Herald [5/24/24]
05/06/2024
PODIATRISTS AND THE LAW
FL Podiatrist Found Guilty of Child Sex Crimes
A Bay County jury found a Panama City doctor guilty of three sex offenses against a child on Wednesday. The State Attorney’s Office said Panama City podiatrist Dr. Daniel Feitz was found guilty of multiple charges including sexual battery upon a child less than 12 years of age, lewd or lascivious exhibition, and lewd or lascivious molestation.
Source: WJHG/WECP [5/2/24]
