Lit Time Bomb Finally Explodes

A fraudalent M.D. who was convicted in North Carolina in July 2000. He fled and has now been captured and faces 14 years in the Big House. He defrauded folks with a fake AIDs cure. The article is at: http://www.charlotte.com/observer/local/pub/doctor1101.htm

The article notes two European degree mill degreess and one legitimate degree obtained fraudulently.

From quackwatch we find a picture of the good doctor and find that Sussex College of Technology provided the doctor with the D.Sc. and the M.D. was from Metropolitan Collegiate Institute. http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Cancer/immustim.html

Anyway, interesting reading and in my opinion this is the worst kind of use and abuse of degree mill credentials. Additional charges in other states appear to be pending against the doctor.

John

 

The elaboration and energy of Caplinger's representations outlined in the quackwatch.com report is amazing. He probably could have achieved some sort of legitimate professional qualification with a comparable amount of work.

One has to wonder if there should not be some sort of non-trivial review of qualifications as part of receiving a business or state license to open a medical or legal practice (or professional engineering or other public safety businesses as well). Okay, teachers too.

The story is also, IMHO, an indictment of the courts in FL and NC; their punishments for past crimes were barely a speedbump to further abuses. (If you give back some of the money that you've stolen, you can just walk away.)

The story should give pause to anyone contemplating using a degree mill in the sense that the operator of the "institution" issuing the medical degree had kept and was perfectly willing to provide incriminating evidence to investigators, in this case, a letter from Caplinger instructing the "institution" about backdating the degree and dictating the contents of the transcript. Why wouldn't they? If they are operating legally, or at least at a low profile, why would they put themselves at risk for the sake of an over-achieving putz with a $100 degree?

 

"A federal appeals court on Monday affirmed the money laundering convictions of a North Carolina man who bilked investors out of more than $1.8 million by posing as a doctor developing a cure for AIDS and cancer. However, a three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered a new sentencing hearing for Gregory E. Caplinger, who was sentenced to 14 years in prison. [...] Evidence revealed that Caplinger had at least two bogus degrees obtained from 'diploma mills' in Europe, as well as a degree from a legitimate Dominican medical school that he had obtained through deceptive means."
-- http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/6509594.htm

 

Mark,

Interesting. Thanks for the update.

John