San Diego Judge Sentences Man to Jail for Impersonating a Doctor

A 75-year-old San Diego man, Kurt Walter Donsbach, has been sentenced to a year in a county jail and ordered to serve probation for practicing medicine in California without a license. The terms and conditions of his probation, among other things, prohibit Mr. Donsbach from referring to himself as a doctor, prescribing drugs, and teaching, writing or speaking about any nutrition or health-related issue.

According to law enforcement, Mr. Donsbach offered an illegal drug to an undercover law enforcement agent who pretended to have pancreatic cancer. The prosecution also alleged that he had given similarly unauthorized treatments to patients with prostate cancer and arthritis. Mr. Donsbach was arrested in 2009 during his radio show, and he later pleaded guilty to 13 felony charges including unlawfully selling misbranded drugs, practicing medicine without a license, and attempted grand theft. He also was previously convicted in a federal court of smuggling unapproved medicines into the U.S. from Mexico, selling unauthorized medication in various states, and evading income taxes on money earned through his clinic.

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Practicing medicine without a license is a serious crime in California. It can be prosecuted under California Business and Professional Code as a misdemeanor or felony offense, or as a felony if charged as larceny by trick. It may also result in a civil action instituted by the victims against the person pretending to be a doctor. In California, felony probation may last up to five years if the conviction offense carries the maximum prison term of five years or less. However, if the maximum term is more than five years, the judge is authorized to impose a period of probation longer than five years, but probation may not exceed the maximum prison term for the offense.

The Law Office of Domenic J. Lombardo handles all types of matters related to theft and white collar crimes in San Diego County. For immediate legal help, contact San Diego criminal defense attorney Domenic J. Lombardo at (619) 232-5122 to schedule a free and confidential consultation.

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Domenic Lombardo

Domenic J. Lombardo, Attorney at Law and a member of California Attorneys for Criminal Justice (CACJ), graduated from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), earning a B.A. in Economics-Business, before graduating with his J.D. from University of California, Hastings School of Law. Mr. Lombardo has been practicing as a criminal defense lawyer in San Diego for nearly 30 years, having started at the San Diego Office of the Public Defender in 1991 and then opened the Law Office of Domenic J. Lombardo in early 1996 as a sole practitioner. His practice is dedicated entirely to the defense of individuals accused of crimes and university misconduct, including Title IX allegations. While Mr. Lombardo works as the primary attorney for all his cases, he does have a team of investigators, forensic consultants, and paralegals to call on to help achieve the best possible result in every case. When he is not working, Mr. Lombardo is a family man, triathlete, and world traveler.

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