A US pensioner has been arrested for posing as a doctor and telling people he could cure their diabetes if they paid him.
According to US news channel Fox13, Onelio Hipolit-Gonzalez used a metal rod connected to a machine to diagnose whether people had diabetes and other serious conditions.
The 73-year-old was promoting himself as a doctor on a website called Elclassificado and told people he could cure them by drawing their blood and putting it back into their bloodstream.
He was arrested after an undercover detective posed as someone who needed his help and attended an appointment with Hipolit-Gonzalez, where he was asked to pay $160.
The examination involved holding a metal rod, which was hooked up to a machine. Hipolit-Gonzalez said the results suggested the undercover detective had ‘50% fat in his liver‘ and ‘his gallbladder was not in good health’. He was also diagnosed with diabetes and osteoporosis.
A treatment plan, costing $2,000 was then offered to the officer, which Hipolit-Gonzalez said would cure his diabetes.
He was eventually arrested and told detectives he did not believe he needed a medical license to practice the methods he was using. When asked if he had any medical background, he told officers he had worked as a lab technician in his native Cuba, and when he moved to Florida, he attended school to get a certificate for ‘Iridology, herbology, and nutrition‘.
Denise Moloney, a spokesperson for the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, said this was a “very unusual” case.
She added: “Basically he’s taking people’s money and telling them he’s going to cure them. First time I’ve heard of something like this.”
Police are now appealing for other people who have been treated by Hipolit-Gonzalez to come forward.
