SANTA PAULA : Doctor Pleads Guilty to 8 Felony Counts
A former Santa Paula physician pleaded guilty to eight felony charges Tuesday, admitting he sent a refrigerator and thousands of magazines to a Camarillo lawyer who refused to accept his wrongful termination case.
Reynaldo Fong, who owns a practice in Salinas, will be sentenced April 18 on eight counts of felony false personation.
The 44-year-old anesthesiologist faces six years in prison, but Superior Court Judge Charles W. Campbell indicated he would instead seek to have the Philippine national deported because he is an illegal immigrant, a prosecutor said.
“The judge’s position was this is a nonviolent crime,” Deputy Dist. Atty. Richard E. Simon said. “My view is a prison sentence is warranted.”
The county grand jury indicted Fong on seven criminal counts last July after he had sent thousands of magazine subscriptions to the offices of attorney Theresa McConville. McConville refused to take Fong’s case after the physician was fired from Santa Paula Hospital for allegedly double-billing insurance companies, Simon said. The lawyer received more than 5,000 magazines over 10 years.
Several weeks after Fong’s indictment, McConville received a refrigerator at her office, which prompted an eighth felony charge. Fong is being held in the Ventura County Jail without bail.
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