Board Asked to Revoke License of Doctor in Staged Accidents

A state prosecutor asked the Division of Medical Quality this week to revoke the license of an Encino physician who went to prison after being convicted of involvement in a staged accident ring.

“I pointed out to the board members that there are some egregious violations of law and acts of improper conduct committed by Dr. Snyder,” Deputy Atty. Gen. Elisa B. Wolfe said Friday.

Dr. Stefan Snyder, 43, was convicted of two counts of felony mail fraud in May, 1989, according to documents on file with the Medical Board of California. From 1987 to 1989, according to the board, Snyder prepared records and bills for people who claimed injuries from nonexistent or staged auto accidents.

Wolfe did not know how much money was involved in the fraud but said there were nine to 13 accidents, some of which may have involved multiple victims. She said Snyder paid between $500 and $1,000 per case to be part of the ring.

Snyder was sentenced to six months in federal prison at Lompoc in 1989. Since his release, he has resumed his practice at weight-loss clinics in Encino, Pasadena and West Los Angeles.

Snyder, who does business under the name of Alpha Health Care Medical Group, asked division members at Thursday’s hearing in Los Angeles to impose a lesser penalty recommended by Administrative Law Judge Rosalyn Chapman. On Jan. 27, 1992, Chapman recommended that Snyder’s license be suspended for three months and that he be placed on five years probation.

But the Division of Medical Quality has so far decided not to adopt the recommendation and instead called for a further review of the case.

Snyder’s attorney, Ronald S. Marks of Beverly Hills, was critical of state medical board officials for not accepting the law judge’s recommendation.

“I think they are more interested in their own public image than what’s just in a particular case. I think they are being too harsh.”

He said the medical quality board may be responding to public criticism by taking a tough position on doctors. The Medical Board of California has been attacked recently for its long backlog of cases.

A final decision on revocation or a lighter penalty could be issued within a month.