Florida 18-year-old arrested for posing as a holistic doctor
Man performed exam on undercover cop
A South Florida teen was arrested Tuesday and charged with practicing medicine without a license after allegedly setting up a fake medical practice and passing himself off as having a Ph.D.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said Malachi Love-Robinson, 18, was arrested after he allegedly performed an examination on an undercover agent and offered medical advice.
Love-Robinson was released from jail Wednesday on $21,000 bond on charges of practicing medicine without a license, fraud and grand theft.
The Palm Beach Post reported that a cease-and-desist order showed that Love-Robinson had operated a medical office in West Palm Beach since Jan. 26. The teen allegedly named his practice New Birth New Life Holistic and Alternative Medical Center & Urgent Care and claimed to be a doctor of psychology.
The center's website listed Love-Robinson as one of three staff members and included a statement that described him as "a well rounded professional that treats, and cares for patients, using a system of practice that bases treatment of physiological functions and abnormal conditions on natural laws governing the human body."
The paper also reported that Love-Robinson had been investigated at least twice before. In January of last year, he allegedly donned a doctor's coat and roamed the halls of a local hospital. No charges were filed after it was determined that he did not enter patients' rooms or perform medical procedures.
This past October, Love-Robinson was issued a cease-and-desist order after he allegedly operated another fake medical practice in Boynton Beach.
At the time of the initial investigation in January 2015, Love-Robinson's mother told police her son had been diagnosed with an illness and was not taking his medication. The precise illness was redacted from public documents.
Click for more from the Palm Beach Post.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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