WHAT: Los Angeles doctor Levon Tebelekian, 72, was arrested for allegedly falsifying the results of medical exams for immigrants applying for permanent residency visas. Investigators said immigrants paid Tebelekian up to $150 to sign the required medical examination form — without ever seeing the doctor.
WHY IT’S A BAD IDEA: In one case, Tebelekian allegedly told an undercover ICE agent that he was not going to “disturb his blood” because the agent “did not look like he had AIDS.” Nobody knows how many other patients may have received one of these visual-only AIDS tests that potentially put the public at risk.
WHAT’S BEING DONE: If convicted, the physician faces up to 80 years in prison for making fraudulent statements.
