Doctor Accused of Fraud Jailed for Court Outbursts

An Anaheim doctor charged with Medi-Cal fraud and solicitation for murder and bribery was jailed by a Superior Court judge Tuesday when he tried to shout her down after accusing her of bias.

Lawrence S. Krain, 44, who already has been declared by one judge to be incompetent to stand trial on part of the charges against him, was led away in handcuffs after he pleaded with Judge Kathleen E. O’Leary to accept his apology and not find him in contempt of court.

“Oh please, please, Your Honor, I have to be in federal bankruptcy court in the morning, please don’t do this,” Krain said, near tears. “I promise never to talk in court again. Oh, please don’t do this.”

O’Leary ordered attorneys in Krain’s case back to court in Santa Ana at 9 a.m. today so that she can sentence Krain on her contempt finding.

Krain, who was first arrested in 1982, has been a familiar face in Orange County courtrooms for the last five years. He has filed more than 40 lawsuits in federal and Superior courts. Some of those suits have been against a newspaper reporter, psychiatrists, his present and past attorneys, both his county and state prosecutors and many judges who have been involved in his case, including O’Leary.

Krain, whose medical license has been suspended pending a medical board licensing hearing, has been free on $200,000 bail.

Krain was found incompetent by Judge Robert H. Green last month during proceedings on his Medi-Cal fraud case, according to court officials. The solicitation for murder and bribery charges are part of a separate trial, and Judge O’Leary was just about to wrap up several issues on that case Tuesday when Krain ignored her warning to stop interrupting her.