LA man charged with practicing medicine without license

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Los Angeles man has been accused of falsely claiming to be a doctor and practicing medicine on thousands of people, offering treatment for serious medical conditions including cancer, prosecutors said.

Stephan Gevorkian faces five felony counts of practicing medicine without a certification, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement Monday. Available records did not list an attorney who could speak on the 44-year-old’s behalf.

Gevorkian owns and operates Pathways Medical in the North Hollywood neighborhood. The clinic conducts blood tests and offers treatment for conditions including cancer and viral infections, prosecutors said.

His arrest came after an undercover investigator received a consultation last November during which Gevorkian failed to accurately address abnormal levels of a hormone that could indicate a serious medical condition, the DA’s statement said.

“Practicing medicine without a license is not only a criminal activity in California, it can cause irreparable harm to the health of unsuspecting people, some with serious illnesses, who believe they are under the care of a licensed physician,” District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement.

Gevorkian was ordered to appear in court for a preliminary hearing May 24.