Plastic Surgeon Charged With Murder; Accused Doctor Tried to Kill Ants, Not Spouse

A California plastic surgeon has been charged with murder after his patient went into cardiac arrest during breast augmentation surgery and later died. Prosecutors allege Carlos Chacon, MD, intentionally let the patient die on the operating table by preventing staff from calling 911. (NBC San Diego)

New York urologist Darius Paduch, MD, PhD, was arrested after allegedly sexually assaulting and abusing patients, including underage victims, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Prosecutors charge that Paduch made victims believe the abuse was “medically necessary and appropriate” and played pornography during clinic visits.

The Texas anesthesiologist accused of killing a colleague and poisoning patients after tampering with IV bags is seeking bail, and said he shot his neighbor’s dog not in retaliation for the neighbor helping his ex-girlfriend leave him, but because of the non-stop barking. Raynaldo Rivera Ortiz Jr., MD, has been held without bond since his arrest last September. (Fox News)

The lawyer of the California doctor who was accused of poisoning her husband with Drano says the dermatologist made the cocktail to kill ants that were infesting their home. (Fox News)

Two Florida nursing school operators have pleaded guilty over their roles in a scheme to sell fake nursing diplomas to thousands of students. (Tampa Bay Times)

A Florida physician who prescribes medical marijuana has sued the state after being cleared of wrongdoing in an undercover sting operation. Joseph Dorn, MD, is seeking unspecified damages from the Florida Department of Health. (Tallahassee Democrat)

NorthShore University HealthSystem and Fabio Ortega, MD, will pay $35 million to settle claims that a twin developed cerebral palsy in a C-section gone wrong. In 2021, Ortega was sentenced to 3 years in prison after pleading guilty to two criminal sexual assaults in an unrelated case, but was released after about a year. (Patch)

California anesthesiologist Thomas Keller, MD, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for distributing controlled substances outside the scope of his practice and without medical need, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California.

Colorado cardiologist Stephen Matthews, MD, was charged with three counts of sexual assault for having sex with a woman who said she had no memory of doing so while on a date with the doctor. Matthews told police that he and the woman “had consensual sex.” (CBS Colorado)

Melissa Tripp, RN, is suing Exeter Hospital in New Hampshire for firing her over not getting a flu shot due to her religious beliefs. (NH Business Review)

Microsoft and a hospital advocacy group are using a federal court order to try to cut off hackers’ access to a tool that’s been used in nearly 70 ransomware attacks on healthcare organizations in more than 19 countries. The order allows Microsoft to seize internet infrastructure that predominantly Russian-speaking hackers were using to communicate with infected computer networks in hospitals and other healthcare organizations. (CNN)