Fugitive “Nose Guy” Doc Arrested in Italy

Mark Weinberger allegedly treated a woman for sinus problems but failed to discover her advanced throat cancer

A Chicago-area doctor who has been on the lam for more than five years was captured this week by Italian authorities.

Mark Weinberger of Merrillville, Ind. has been running from authorities ever since a Hammond, Indiana Grand Jury indicted him fraud and malpractice relating to his ear, nose and throat practice.

His run ended when Italian cops found him camping out in northern Italy and arrested him.

After the arrest, Weinberger cut his neck with a small knife he had hidden on himself and was taken to a hospital, said police official Guido Di Vita.

The arrest came more than five years after Weinberger disappeared while on a vacation in Greece, leaving his wife behind.

Di Vita said police identified him through his documents and were alerted to his presence by a mountain guide. Weinberger had previously rented out an apartment in the area but then left without paying, Di Vita said.

Weinberger, 46, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Hammond, Ind., in 2006 on 22 counts of fraud for allegedly concocting a scheme to overbill insurance companies for procedures that were either not needed or sometimes never performed. In at least one case, the scheme allegedly resulted in death.

Weinberger allegedly treated a woman for sinus problems, and failed to discover her advanced throat cancer — a delay that cost her life, according to a lawsuit filed by her sister.

Hundreds of civil lawsuits were filed after Weinberger vanished. The case had been featured on "America's Most Wanted."

Weinberger's wife no longer lives in Chicago.  Her mother says her daughter is "happy he has been caught because of all the people he has hurt," and said her daughter "is a very good and strong person" who has moved on with her life.

It was not immediately clear when Weinberger would be discharged from the local hospital or if he would be extradited to the United States.

The doctor was being sought on an international arrest warrant and was likely trying to sneak into Switzerland, Di Vita said.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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