Wife of fugitive valley plastic surgeon pleads not guilty to contempt

Linda Morrow, the wife of a valley cosmetic surgeon previously wanted for fraud, pleaded not guilty in federal court.

Linda Morrow appeared in United States District Court in Santa Ana this afternoon and pleaded not guilty to a separate grand jury indictment that charges her with contempt of court for fleeing while free on bond.

Linda and her husband David Murrow, owner of the Morrow Institute in Rancho Mirage, had been on the run since September 2017, after breaching a plea agreement made when the Morrows pleaded guilty to orchestrating a multi-million dollar health care fraud scheme.

David Morrow, 74, would defraud health insurance companies by billing them for tummy tucks, nose jobs, and breast enlargements while claiming they were medically necessary. In less than three years, the Morrow Institute billed more than $84 million to companies like Anthem Blue Shield and self-insured local municipal agencies. In total, the Morrow Institute was paid out over $22 million.

Linda Morrow, who served as the executive director of the Morrow Institute, was also indicted in August 2016 on fraud and identity theft charges. The case against her was still pending when she fled the country with David.

David Morrow was scheduled to be sentenced in August 2017, however, in the months leading up to his sentencing, authorities realized the couple was missing, along with nearly $2 million in cash. David Morrow was sentenced in absentia to 20 years in prison.

Earlier this week, News Channel 3 learned that the Morrows were arrested in Israel on June 16. Israeli authorities took Linda Morrow into custody after they determined that she entered the country with a fraudulent Mexican passport.

A trial date in Linda Morrow’s contempt case has been scheduled for August 27. She will make another court appearance later this month to discuss the status of the pending health care fraud case. Linda Morrow is charged with conspiracy, 23 counts of mail fraud, six identity theft charges, and one count of misprision of a felony for allegedly failing to report the health care fraud scheme to authorities

According to the Department of Justice, Linda Morrow would face a potential sentence of more than 500 years in federal prison if convicted of all the charges she faces.

David Morrow also faces contempt of court charges for fleeing while he was pending sentencing. He is pending extradition proceedings in Israel.

Stay with News Channel 3 for the latest developments on this case.