One year after a teenager was found at St. Mary’s Medical Center in Palm Beach, Fla., dressed as a doctor, the imposter - Malachi Love-Robinson - is back in the news again, and this time authorities say he was running a medical practice in a West Palm Beach medical building.
Love-Robinson, now 18, was charged by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office with practicing medicine without a license, a third-degree felony, after he was accused of performing a physical exam and giving medical advice to an undercover agent, according to The New York Times.
The sheriff’s Narcotics Unit and Florida Department of Health began an undercover operation after a tip that Love-Robinson had set up a medical office called New Birth New Life Medical Center & Urgent Care in a building with other medical and dentistry offices. He even held a grand opening in January and had profiles on consumer web sites like Healthgrades.com, where he stated his specialties were naturopathy and psychology, the Times reported.
Love-Robinson has apparently been passing himself off as a doctor for over a year now. As HCB News previously reported, he was taken into custody when he was 17 years old after he wandered the halls at St. Mary’s Medical Center wearing a white lab coat and a stethoscope. In October, he was arrested at an addiction recovery treatment center in Boynton Beach, Fla., according to the Times. The state health department issued cease and desist orders in this week’s incident and in October.
He was released after posting bail last Wednesday, CNN.com reported.
Local Florida television station, WPTV, reported on its web site that it was unclear whether Love-Robinson graduated from high school or has a GED. But he is listed as a doctor and Reverend on the missionarychapel.com web site, a Tennessee seminary group that allegedly sells degrees, licenses and transcripts, according to the TV station.
A representative of the seminary sent an email that said it had “temporarily rescinded Love-Robinson’s credentials and church charter pending the outcome of these disturbing charges.”
Love-Robinson held a press conference to state his position on the allegations, which the Palm Beach Post captures in the following video:
In addition, he appeared on “Good Morning America” on ABC Thursday and claimed he had a Ph.D. but never said he was an M.D. Acronyms listed on the web site for his practice included HHP-C, which stands for home health and personal care. A Florida Department of Health spokesman told CNN it does not issue licenses for naturopathic doctors.
Brad Dalton, a Florida Department of Health spokesperson, said they were able to fine Love-Robinson nearly $4,000 and issue him the second cease and desist, “When he crossed the line and started giving a physical and offering to treat the undercover agent.”
