A fugitive surgeon from northwestern Indiana who was arrested in Italy is scheduled to appear before a federal judge on fraud and malpractice charges.
The U.S. attorney's office says Mark Weinberger of Merrillville will make an initial appearance Monday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Hammond.
The 46-year-old Weinberger was arrested in December in Italy more than five years after he disappeared as allegations mounted surrounding his medical practice. He arrived back in the United States in the past few days after being hospitalized in Italy.
Weinberger 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.
A message seeking comment was left Monday for James Hough, an attorney who has represented Weinberger.
