Current:Home > Back2 accused of false Alzheimer’s diagnoses get prison terms for fraud convictions-LoTradeCoin
2 accused of false Alzheimer’s diagnoses get prison terms for fraud convictions
View Date:2024-12-24 11:08:03
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — A former director of an Ohio memory-loss clinic accused by dozens of patients of falsely diagnosing them with Alzheimer’s disease has been sentenced on federal fraud charges, along with her physician husband.
Sherry-Ann Jenkins received nearly six years in prison on Tuesday, while Oliver Jenkins got a 41-month sentence. The couple was convicted in March on conspiracy, mail fraud, wire fraud and health-care fraud charges after being indicted in May 2020.
The U.S. Justice Department has said Sherry-Ann Jenkins was not trained or licensed to provide any medical care but presented herself as a doctor and billed patients for unneeded treatments.
The indictment did not directly accuse the couple of falsely diagnosing her patients, but more than 60 people filed lawsuits beginning in 2017 that said Sherry-Ann Jenkins lied and told them they had Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia.
The patients said they spent months undergoing treatment while planning out their final years, thinking they would die soon. Some quit their jobs or took one last special trip. One killed himself; others said they considered suicide.
The patients who sued the couple and the clinic resolved the cases out of court. Nearly all of those diagnosed by Sherry-Ann Jenkins began seeing her after suffering traumatic brain injuries or worsening cognitive issues.
Sherry-Ann Jenkins operated the Toledo Clinic Cognitive Center through the Toledo Clinic, a multi-specialty medical center, for slightly more than two years, according to court records.
She would diagnose and treat patients and order tests despite having no training or qualifications, prosecutors said. She also billed patients for treatments that weren’t medically necessary, including memory exercises and using coconut oil to treat cognitive disorders, they said.
Her husband, an ear, nose, and throat doctor and a former partner in the Toledo Clinic, signed off on the tests and was listed as the referring physician on billing even though he was rarely at the clinic and never saw the patients, prosecutors have said.
veryGood! (38793)
Related
- Pistons' Tim Hardaway Jr. leaves in wheelchair after banging head on court
- Log and Burn, or Leave Alone? Indiana Residents Fight US Forest Service Over the Future of Hoosier National Forest
- Q&A: What to Do About Pollution From a Vast New Shell Plastics Plant in Pennsylvania
- As the Colorado River Declines, Water Scarcity and the Hunt for New Sources Drive up Rates
- Ex-Duke star Kyle Singler draws concern from basketball world over cryptic Instagram post
- Save 70% On Coach Backpacks for School, Travel, Commuting, and More
- Madewell's High Summer Event: Score an Extra 25% off on Summer Staples Like Tops, Shorts, Dresses & More
- Fossil Fuel Companies and Cement Manufacturers Could Be to Blame for a More Than a Third of West’s Wildfires
- NFL Week 10 injury report: Live updates on active, inactive players for Sunday's games
- Roundup Weedkiller Manufacturers to Pay $6.9 Million in False Advertising Settlement
Ranking
- Georgia's humbling loss to Mississippi leads college football winners and losers for Week 11
- The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale 2023 is Open to All: Shop the Best Deals on Beauty, Fashion, Home & More
- Fossil Fuel Companies and Cement Manufacturers Could Be to Blame for a More Than a Third of West’s Wildfires
- Chicago, HUD Settle Environmental Racism Case as Lori Lightfoot Leaves Office
- The NBA Cup is here. We ranked the best group stage games each night
- Nearly 1 in 5 Americans Live in Communities With Harmful Air Quality, Study Shows
- The Complicated Reality of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette's Tragic, Legendary Love Story
- Love of the Land and Community Inspired the Montana Youths Whose Climate Lawsuit Against the State Goes to Court This Week
Recommendation
-
John Robinson, successful football coach at USC and with the LA Rams, has died at 89
-
Miranda Lambert Stops Las Vegas Concert to Call Out Fans for Taking Selfies
-
Jamie Lee Curtis Has the Ultimate Response to Lindsay Lohan Giving Birth to Her First Baby
-
It’s the Features, Stupid: EV Market Share Is Growing Because the Vehicles Keep Getting Better
-
DWTS' Sasha Farber Claps Back at Diss From Jenn Tran's Ex Devin Strader
-
Environmental Justice Advocates Urge California to Stop Issuing New Drilling Permits in Neighborhoods
-
Lindsay Lohan Gives Birth, Welcomes First Baby With Bader Shammas
-
Solar Is Booming in the California Desert, if Water Issues Don’t Get in the Way