Category: Strange News

Florida Teenager Accused Of Posing As A Medical Doctor — Again

 

Via NY Times– A teenager in South Florida who was advertising his health care services had certifications in holistic healthcare. He had lab coats and a stethoscope. He even had a medical office.

What the 18-year-old Malachi A. Love-Robinson didn’t have, officials say, is a medical degree.

On Tuesday, Mr. Love-Robinson was accused of practicing medicine without a license after officials said he was caught performing a physical exam and offering medical advice to an undercover agent. The episode is the latest in a series of encounters with law enforcement dating back to early 2015 as Mr. Love-Robinson tried time and again to portray himself as a doctor.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that Mr. Love-Robinson managed to open and operate his own office, called New Birth New Life Medical Center & Urgent Care, in a building populated by medical and dentistry offices in West Palm Beach, complete with a grand-opening celebration held in January.
In Florida, practicing medicine without a license is a third-degree felony. Mr. Love-Robinson was scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.

Brad Dalton, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Health, said in an interview that a tip from the public had led to the investigation and arrest of Mr. Love-Robinson. The tipster told the authorities that “a person who was portraying himself as a 25-year-old doctor was actually an 18-year-old,” Mr. Dalton said.

Reached by phone, Mr. Love-Robinson said Wednesday that he had been forced to close his office and called the charges against him “gut wrenching.”

I’m not trying to hurt people,” he said. “I’m just a young black guy who opened up a practice who is trying to do some good in the community. If that is a negative thing, we have a lot more work to do in the community than to single out me.”

He said that the undercover agent who posed as a patient came in complaining of an itchy throat. Mr. Love-Robinson took her weight, checked her breathing and checked her temperature, then recommended she visit a local pharmacy for allergy medication.

“There were no scripts given,no medical advice given.”

Mr. Love-Robinson said that he had received a Ph.D. in another field from a “private Christian university,” but he refused to name the institution or the field in which he received the degree.

He also said that he was certified to provide alternative health care.

That certificate was provided by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners, a group for holistic health professionals including herbalists and other so-called drug-free practitioners. The organization approved Mr. Love-Robinson’s application after reviewing copies of degrees and diplomas sent by mail, according to the group’s director, Donald Rosenthal.

Mr. Rosenthal said that the credential, which has been issued to some 21,000 people, does not allow for people to diagnose or treat medical conditions.

“We tell them that all they can do is consult and educate,” Mr. Rosenthal said, adding that applicants must sign a disclosure saying they understand that the certification does not substitute for the skills of a medical doctor.

Pretty impressive for an 18 year old! Wondering if anyone helped him open his practice. It just seems too complex of a scam for an 18 year old to pull this off alone. What do you think?

Join the discussion.

Vietnamese Woman Escapes Death Penalty By Impregnating Herself 

  
Via Huffington Post– A Vietnamese prisoner used syringes and another inmate’s semen to impregnate herself. The country’s penal code prohibits executing pregnant prisoners.

When a Vietnamese drug smuggler gives birth this spring, she can thank her newborn baby for saving her life. 

Nguyen Thi Hue, 42, was arrested in the coastal province of Quang Ninh in 2012 on charges of drug trafficking, local newspaper Thanh Nien News reports. She was sentenced to death two years later. When she appealed, the court upheld her sentence, according to the Associated Press.  

But it looks like Hue will avoid the death penalty after all. The Vietnamese penal code forbids the execution of pregnant women or mothers with children under the age of 36 months and orders that in those cases the death penalty should be converted to life imprisonment.  

Investigators discovered that Hue paid a 27-year-old male inmate more than $2,000 in August 2015 for his semen and syringes, which they say she used to inseminate herself. The baby is due in April, and Hue’s sentence will officially be reduced to life imprisonment after the birth.

Four officers at the prison have been suspended for alleged negligence, according to the Associated Press. 

As Thanh Nien News points out, this is not the first time a prisoner has pulled off escaping death row by getting pregnant.

In 2007, two guards who worked at Hoa Binh prison were jailed after they allowed a male inmate to have sex with a female prisoner, which resulted in a pregnancy. The prisoner gave birth to a boy in March of that year and escaped death by firing squad. 

$4.6 Million In Counterfeit Money Siezed From Vietnamese Couple  

  
A Vietnamese couple’s inability to keep its story straight resulted in U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents seizing $4.65 million in funny money from the travelers at the Detroit Metro Airport on Friday.
“The couple attempted to import the counterfeit U.S. $100 bills and Vietnamese Dong into the United States to be offered as burnt-offerings to the deceased, as often practiced in certain Asian cultures,” the release explained.

Customs encountered the couple on Friday when they arrived at Metro Airport from South Korea. When the couple made conflicting statements about how much money they were carrying in excess of $10,000, their luggage was examined.

A secondary search of their luggage resulted in the discovery of 93 bundles of counterfeit U.S. $100 bills and 32 bundles of counterfeit Vietnamese Dong,” the statement said.

It was not immediately known how much money the counterfeit Dong came out to, said Customs spokesman Ken Hammond.

The U.S. Secret Service, which is sworn to fight the counterfeiting of American currency — in addition to the job it is best known for, protecting the president of the United States — has custody of the funny money.

“Hell money,” as it is called, is meant to resemble legal tender, and is common in the Vietnamese culture, Hammond said.

The Vietnamese couple never tried to spend the money, and was allowed to continue on their travels, Hammond said. That said, Customs did note that “the manufacturing of, and/or importation of counterfeit Federal Reserve notes could result in federal charges.”

Originally posted on Detroit News.