Alabama counselor pleads guilty; was caught on video touching 16-year-old client

A former counselor who had specialized in trauma treatment for sexually abused children in Dale County pleaded guilty on Friday to harassing a 16-year-old client by way of kissing and unwanted touching, according to authorities.

Virgil Allen Freet, 51, of Apache Drive in Ozark, pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge on Friday.

His attorney, Tom Smith, was not expected back into his office for comment late Friday.

Freet was charged with two counts of sexual abuse on May 23, 2008, after authorities said video surveillance caught him improperly touching a client during a counseling session.

Freet was president, licensed counselor and shareholder of Independent Counseling & Assessment Services in Enterprise, which was in Dale County’s limits.

The business’ website said Freet’s primary concentration was “special interest in” physical and sexual abuse.

The Alabama Board of Examiners in Counseling suspended Freet’s license as a result of the charges.

Dale County District Attorney Kirke Adams said his office was not “overly thrilled” with the outcome, but that certain elements of a felony sex abuse charge did not exist because of the client’s age.

“People that provide services like he did are supposed to be people that can be trusted, but he violated that trust and he’s been held accountable for that violation. Everybody’s proud of the young lady for standing up to him, and because of her bravery and with the help of the licensing board, he’ll never be able to violate anyone else’s trust in a practice,” Adams said.

According to civil attorney Bo Boyd, Freet is also facing a malpractice lawsuit in relation to the incident.

Boyd said the case involves some of the “worst” breach of trust he has seen.

Source: http://www2.dothaneagle.com/news/2010/sep/10/former-dale-county-counselor-pleads-guilty-harassi-ar-814454/

Advertisement

Psychologist Graham Patrick Holbrook loses license for incidents of bizarre, sexual behavior

On July 13, 2010, the Psychologists Tribunal of New South Wales (Australia) cancelled the registration of psychologist Graham Patrick Holbrook for three years (equivalent to a revocation, during which he may not reapply or seek registration).

Holbrook was employed by the Department of Education as a school counselor in schools in New South Wales from 2002 to 2006, when the incidents which form the basis of the complaint against him occurred.

Holbrook was found by the Tribunal to have engaged in unsatisfactory professional conduct, professional misconduct and to be not of good character. These findings were based on the following:

In approximately May 2002, at school meetings, Holbrook make comments which were inappropriate, particularly words to the effect of “I like to ogle the high school girls in their gym skirts” and “Gee, I love my job. All those young girls in gym skirts.”

“I am a psychologist and I work in local schools, but the money is terrible. I am thinking about taking photos of young girls for extra money.  Would it bother you if I took photos of your daughter for the internet…photos for dirty old men?”

In approximately June 2002, Holbrook, in an interview/counseling session with a student, asked that student words to the effect of “Do you masturbate?” and “Do you ever masturbate in front of anyone?”

On February 23, 2004, during an interview/counseling session with another child, Holbrook pulled the chair in which the child was sitting toward him, placed his hands on the child’s thighs and moved his hands up the child’s thighs moving the hemline of her skirt up her thighs. When the child pushed herself away from him, he said words to the effect of “Sorry, you’re just such a tease.”

Though required to keep the door to his office open so that both he and whomever he was interviewing could be seen by passersby (in accordance with policy), the Tribunal’s document states that he locked and/or failed to keep the door open sufficiently during instances in 2004 and 2006.

On approximately July 24 or 25, 2006, Holbrook obtained the personal mobile phone number of a female student from the psychologist’s office at one the schools he worked it. A few days later, he said spoke to the student, words to the effect “Are you free on the weekend?” and “I thought maybe we could catch up.” Later on that day, he called the student and stated words to the effect “Are you still okay to talk to me” and “Don’t tell anyone about this because I could lose my job or worse.”

In approximately December 2006, while at a hair salon, Holbrook made inappropriate comments and/or asked questions of the staff, to the effect of “I am a psychologist and I work in local schools, but the money is terrible. I am thinking about taking photos of young girls for extra money,” and “Would it bother you if I took photos of your daughter for the internet…photos for dirty old men?” and “Do you know of any young girls who I could photograph for men to look at?”

He was deemed a risk to children and young people.

Source: HCCC v Holbrook [2010] NSWPST 5 (13 July 2010), Matter Number: PST 006/2009, PS 0060257, Inquiry under Section 109 In the Matter of Graham Patrick Holbrook.

Story used with permission of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights International.

Texas psychologist defrauds Medicaid of $228K, gets 30 days in jail

On or about April 21, 2010, Texas psychologist Matthew H. Leddy pleaded guilty to Medicaid fraud and was sentenced to 30 days in jail.

Leddy was charged with billing the Medicaid program for unperformed services for more than 60 patients, according to a June 18, 2009 grand jury indictment. The charge alleges that Leddy “made a misrepresentation of material fact” by providing psychological testing services to Medicaid recipients “when said service was not provided” to the state of Texas, the National Heritage Insurance Company and Texas Medicaid and Healthcare Partners for payment by Medicaid.

In addition to his jail time, he was ordered to pay restitution of $228,747 and a $10,000 fine. The state of Texas revoked his license to practice psychology in May 2010.

Source: Paul Knight, “Former MHMRA psychologist Leddy convicted of fraud,” Houston Press, April 21, 2010; Lucretia Cardenas, “Psychologist facing Medicaid fraud charges,” Conroe Courier, July 1, 2009 and Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists Board Disciplinary Sanctions Updated May 2010.

Psychiatrist Alex A. Fider loses license related to road rage shooting

On August 4, 2010, psychiatrist Alex Abelardo Fider surrendered his license to Medical Board of California, agreeing to not petition for three years to have his it reinstated.

This action was done as result of actions taken upon Fider in Tennessee. On May 20, 2009, the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners placed Fider’s medical license on probation for three years following his March 10, 2009 guilty plea in the Criminal Court of Marion County, Tennessee, to a felony charge of reckless aggravated assault relating to a road rage incident wherein he fired a gun striking another vehicle containing children. He was sentenced to three years criminal probation.

Source: Stipulated Surrender of License in the Matter of the Accusation Against Alex Abelardo Sarmiento Fider, M.D., Physician and Surgeon Certificate No. A51631, Case No. 16-2009-201528.

Psychiatrist David L. Hoban defrauded $60K from state of California

On July 20, 2010, the Medical Board of California issued an Accusation against psychiatrist David Louis Hoban.

Hoban worked as a contract psychiatrist for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) assigned to the Salinas Valley State Prison (SVSP). Between March 1, 2007 and June 30, 2007, Hoban fraudulently billed or caused to be billed 241.8 hours of work that he did not actually provide.

In addition, on fifteen separate dates during the same period, he falsified contractor volunteer logs that provided entry and exit times from the prison grounds; Hoban entered an exit time later than the actual time he had left the prison grounds.

Hoban was indicted on November 20, 2008 with four counts of felony violations of presenting false and fraudulent contractor’s daily worksheets for payment to the State of California, two counts of felony violations for falsifying the entry and exit logs to SVSP, one count of a felony violation for knowingly and designedly by false and fraudulent representation and pretense defrauding the State of California for the sum of $60,446, and one count of felony violation for unlawfully conspiring with co-defendants to commit the crime of theft by false pretense in altering and falsifying entry and exit logs for SVSP.

On December 22, 2009, Hoban entered a conditional plea to a single felony violation and the court reduced the conviction to a misdemeanor. Hoban was sentenced to three years probation and was ordered to 300 hours of community service and to compete a theft offender class. He was required to pay restitution to the State of California in the amount of $42,425.

Source: Accusation in the Matter of the Accusation Against David Louis Hoban, M.D., Physician and Surgeon Certificate No. G21690, Case No. 03-2010-204516.

Frank J. Ilardi loses licenses in three countries for “exposing erect penis”

On January 22, 2010, the state of Alaska denied Frank Ilardi’s petition for the restoration of his license, which he surrendered in October 2006 on charges of “…harrassing, disruptive, or abusive behavior; engaging in unprofessional conduct, in sexual conduct, or in lewd or immoral conduct in connection with the delivery of professional services to patients and violating the code of ethics.”

Specifically, in November 2002, Ilardi was working at Charter North Star Hospital in Anchorage, Alaska. On several occasions, Ilardi exposed his erect penis to a female nurse at the hospital and forcefully attempted to have sex with her. Despite her objections, Llardi touched her sexually before she managed to escape.

On June 25, 2007, the State of New York, Department of Health revoked the llardi’s license based on the disciplinary action taken on him in Alaska.

Following a hearing by the Alaska State Medical Board, Llardi voluntarily surrendered his license to practice medicine in Alaska.

The New York Board held that Ilardi’s surrender to practice medicine in another state, because of actions that would constitute misconduct under the laws of New York, were grounds to revoke his medical license in the State of New York.

Ilardi was also denied licensure in Maine and his licenses were cancelled in the United Kingdom and New Zealand.

Source: Entry on Frank J. Ilardi, as listed in Summary of Board Actions 2010, published by the Alaska State Medical Board and Determination and Order in the Matter of Frank J. Ilardi, M.D., B.P.M.C. #07-132, State Board for Professional Medical Conduct.