Therapist Gets Probation in Phobia Fraud Case
A Beverly Hills psychotherapist was sentenced Wednesday to 2 years probation for misdemeanor insurance fraud and ordered to pay $1,500 toward the cost of his prosecution.
Donald Eugene Dossey, 54, defrauded Farmers Insurance of $15,450 by billing the company for counseling sessions that did not take place. He was sentenced by Commissioner Gerald T. Richardson in San Fernando Municipal Court.
The fraud involved a Chatsworth chiropractor, James Francis Dorobiala. Dorobiala claimed he developed a bizarre phobia after an automobile accident in July, 1984, according to court documents.
Dorobiala began seeking treatment from Dossey in August, 1984, and initially the two men met weekly. By September, 1985, the sessions were being held once a month, though both men continued to bill Farmers for weekly sessions, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Janice L. Maurizi.
Dorobiala was sentenced to 2 years probation in August and ordered to repay Farmers the $15,450 it had paid in false claims.
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