M
medicalfraud
This letter was sent to you because of concern about your professional
association with Mr. Dominique Richard / Richard Gleeson, an
unlicensed and uncredentialed person who presents himself as having
completed an education in allopathic medicine and naturopathy in
France. Mr. Richard / Gleeson is a Caucasian male in his 60's. He
uses the birthdate of September 4, 1942, but this birthdate may be
false. Please read the concise criminal history of Dominique
Richard / Richard Gleeson annexed hereto.
Mr. Richard / Gleeson also represents that he has spent many years
studying with the famous French Homeopath Max Tetau. In 1997
inquiries were sent to both the Ministry of Health in Paris, France,
and the Canadian Ministry of Health for the Province of Quebec.
Neither agency had any record of Dominque Richard or Richard Gleeson,
(His Canadian Passport Name), as a physician. It is possible, but
very unlikely, that Mr. Richard / Gleeson was educated as a physician
in France or Canada, but never applied for licensure or registration.
However, Mr. Richard / Gleeson’s company website www.plantstemcellnutrition.com
and his biographical narrative which he releases to his business
contacts uses the credential lettering MD (Medical Doctor) and ND
(Naturopathic Medical Doctor). Further, in these documents Mr.
Richard / Gleeson claims to be a graduate of University of Paris,
Sud. Based on information from University of Paris, Sud and Mr.
Richard / Gleeson’s age and known whereabouts during his lifetime, it
would appear that Mr. Richard / Gleeson is representing to have
graduated before the university even began granting MD degrees.
University of Paris, Sud began teaching its first Medical Degree
classes in 1980. Mr. Richard/Gleeson has in his possession a “diploma”
from University of Paris- Sud with his name and a graduation date of
1964, as well as an “official” certification of said diploma. Both
have been denounced as forgeries by the University itself. For
verification of this Anna Fravola-Bongrand from the University of
Paris-Sud legal department may be contacted at anne.fravola-bongrand@u-
psud.fr or tel. 01-69-15 31 19. University of Paris, Sud does not
appear to teach or grant ND (naturopathic) or Homeopathic degrees at
all. Except for a few years in the mid-1980's while he was a fugitive
on the run from the New York Police and New York State Attorney
General’s Office for practicing medicine without a license and other
felony charges, Mr. Richard / Gleeson has been in New York since the
mid 1970's.
It is possible that Mr. Richard / Gleeson may have spent time in
Europe while he was a fugitive from his felony charges. It is
possible that during this time he met Max Tetau. An inquiry was made
in 1997 of Max Tetau regarding Mr. Richard / Gleeson’s education with
Dr. Tetau. Dr. Tetau remembered Mr. Richard / Gleeson, but could not
remember if Mr. Richard / Gleeson had taken any courses with Dr.
Tetau. Please take note that a valid Medical Diploma is a
prerequisite for joining and taking courses with the Society of
Biotherapy.
While Mr. Richard / Gleeson does appear to have knowledge of
homeopathy and gemmotherapy, he has been misrepresenting himself for
at least 3 decades in New York City and elsewhere in the United States
and he has never been able to produce authentic , verifiable
educational credentials.
Also please take note, in the past Mr. Richard / Gleeson has initiated
lawsuits as a means of intimidating individuals and organizations
attempting to seek redress and recompense for his deceptions; however,
Mr. Richard / Gleeson does not even pay his own attorneys and thus his
legal actions expire unresolved and dismissed.
Dominique Richard is a common name (for both men and women) in both
France and French Canada. In France there is at least one Physician
named Dominique Richard who is published in the medical literature.
In Quebec there is a Dominique Richard PhD who is a Molecular
Biologist who is also published in the medical literature. It is
possible that Mr. Richard / Gleeson obtained another individual’s
diploma, possibly altering it, and is using it as his own. Since it
seems that Mr. Richard / Gleeson’s apparent specialty is fraud. Any
Diploma or Certificate he presents should be authenticated thoroughly
with the issuing institution or agency.
A Dr. Richard Weiland (914) 681-5112, a real Homeopath in Valhalla,
NY, knew Mr. Richard / Gleeson in the early to mid 1980's. Dr.
Weiland states that Mr. Richard / Gleeson did not even know how to
measure blood pressure, perform physical examinations, nor give
injections at the time that he first met Mr. Richard / Gleeson. At
that time, Mr. Richard / Gleeson was calling himself a Chiropractor
and was performing Chiropractic Adjustments on unsuspecting patients
using a floor mattress in his Greenwich Village apartment.
If you intend to continue your business relationship with Mr.
Richard / Gleeson, you are urged strongly to rigorously verify and
authenticate, by all means legal and practical, any credentials he
presents or purports to possess. You are now cognizant that there are
great questions and serious failings in his background. Please do
what is right and help protect others from his illegal behavior.
CONCISE CRIMINAL HISTORY OF DOMINIQUE RICHARD / RICHARD GLEESON:
Dominique Richard has been a one man crime wave that has been plaguing
New York for approximately 30 years. Many people have been defrauded
by Mr. Richard Gleeson, a.k.a. Dominique Richard, a.k.a. Steve Levine,
a.k.a. William Healey. He is a Canadian national, but he has a U.S.
Social Security Number ( 098-68-6537 ) in the name of Dominique
Richard.
He has resided at 60 DeKoven Court, Brooklyn, New York, and conducted
business at 221 West 57th. Street, 11th. Floor, New York, New York
10019. In mid 2004 he moved his business location to 118 E 37th St.,
Ground Floor, in the Murray Hill neighborhood of Manhattan for less
than 2 years, and was at the time believed to be residing at an
unknown location on Fire Island. He next moved to 405 E 50 Street,
Ground Floor for a short period of time, before moving to his current
location at 80 Madison Avenue, Apt. 4E. He moves frequently often
owing his landlords large sums of money in arrears.
He has been practicing medicine under the name "Dominique Richard" and
he presents himself to the public as "Dominique Richard, MD and ND" a
"famous" physician educated in France, and the son of the famous
French actress Jeanne Moreau. Ms. Moreau has publically declared that
Mr. Gleeson / Richard is not her son in her biography "La Moreau." On
knowledge and belief, Mr. Gleeson / Richard is an uneducated French
Canadian, failed former rock and roll musician, and the only New York
state license he ever held was that as a hairdresser and
cosmetologist.
He has been practicing medicine without a license in the U.S. for
approximately 30 years in various ways. He tells patients, co-
workers, and the general public that he was a physician in France,
however, no verifiable records are accessible to substantiate this
claim and he has been proven in the past to create fraudulent records
to further this misrepresentation. It is also believed that in the
past he has posed as a licensed Chiropractor, and it was discovered
that he had been impersonating the famous British record producer,
Steve Levine.
In the early 1980's Mr. Gleeson ran a bogus cancer clinic which was
licensed as a hospice in the Millbrook / New Paltz area. He charged
$10,000 to "treat" terminally ill cancer patients, and he was also
practicing medicine without a license in several boroughs of New York
City. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Gleeson was convicted in New York on 5
counts of practicing medicine without a license (felony). Having been
"busted" for "playing doctor," Mr. Gleeson apparently felt having
"Real" doctors on premises would legitimize his activities. Using his
fake credentials as a physician, and employment contracts allegedly
approved by an attorney, Mr. Gleeson employed physicians during the
period 1984 through 1997 in medical corporations operating under a
number of various corporate names. What Mr. Gleeson failed to realize
is that without the proper form of holding corporation, it is illegal
in New York for a non-physician to employ physicians. The physicians
Mr. Gleeson employed were unaware of his fakery, believing that he was
in fact a physician as he identified himself to be. This illusion was
furthered by the employment contract he had them sign which he
represented as being "attorney approved."
Sadly, Mr. Gleeson was not satisfied to simply be an herbalist and
collect large sums of money from the patients of his clinic, his
recidivist nature compelled him to still "play doctor." Unbeknownst
to each physician at the time, Mr. Gleeson would engage in medical
practice when the "real" licensed physicians were not on premises.
This activity may have included invasive medical procedures such as
physical examination, procurement of laboratory specimens, hypodermic
injection, phlebotomy / venipuncture, intravenous therapy, etc. When
each physician discovered that he was "playing out of bounds," they
would terminate their business relationship with Mr. Gleeson and his
clinic. Mr. Gleeson would then seek out and find the next licensed
physician to be his "patsy."
During 1997 Mr. Gleeson switched tactics by first setting up the
licensed physician as a sole proprietor, but with Mr. Gleeson
remaining in control of all the funds. He also took on a business
associate, a Mr. Alex Nimmervoll, who without the knowledge or consent
of the licensed physician, opened a fraudulent second clinic to engage
in fraudulent insurance billing.
In 1998 Mr. Gleeson switched tactics again. He had the licensed
physician set up as a Professional Corporation, again with himself
controlling all of the funds and taking the majority of the practice
income for himself. The most current licensed physician, Dr. Anna Pla
Alarid, MD is sole shareholder of the corporation, Bioessentials
Medical Services, Inc. Dr. Alarid is an elderly woman who is
financially destitute, and exhibits signs of mental confusion. She is
thus an ideal "front" for Mr. Gleeson's illegal activities. She is
also herself a convicted felon, (for intent to distribute 150
kilograms of cocaine in 1989).
Mr. Gleeson, who functions in that practice as "Dominique Richard," is
the "true" owner of the practice who controls all funds. (Until
recent years, Mr. Gleeson’s office manager, Mr. Paull Matheson, a
terminally ill, former drug addict who passed away, assisted Mr.
Gleeson in maintaining absolute control over all of the practice
funds). The majority of the practice income is appropriated by Mr.
Gleeson / Richard. Mr. Gleeson / Richard's company is Bioessentials
Inc. On knowledge and belief, there is no formal agreement between
Dr. Alarid and Mr. Gleeson such as often exists between a Professional
Corporation and a Management Company.
Mr. Gleeson had a large, loyal following of patients, some of whom had
been using the medical services of his corporations for twenty years
and longer under the belief that he is all that he represents himself
to be. He grossed over a million dollars a year from the sale of
medical services, and he has convinced many patients to spend as much
as $15,000 or more per year at his clinics.
Multiple complaints were filed with the New York District Attorney,
New York Attorney General (212) 416-8750, the New York State
Department of Health, and the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
As a result of a recent change in Immigration Law, Mr. Gleeson is no
longer eligible for citizenship or residency in the U.S. since he is a
convicted felon in New York. Further, Mr. Gleeson engaged in a "Green
Card Marriage" to obtain Permanent Resident status. The District
Attorney declined to pursue Mr. Gleeson giving the reason that the
Attorney General has jurisdiction over the matter. The Attorney
General initially declined to pursue Mr. Gleeson, but had decided to
place the matter in suspense until more evidence was available. The
New York State Department of Health also has the matter of Mr.
Gleeson under review pending more evidence. The INS has indicated
that while Mr. Gleeson is subject to deportation, he is on a very long
list of people subject to deportation. The INS suggested that if one
of the Judicial or Police authority agencies, such as the District
Attorney, Attorney General, or FBI were to "Officially" notify them
that Mr. Gleeson was a higher priority, they would accelerate the
process of his deportation.
Mr. Gleeson has incorporated his company Bioessentials Inc., (another
of Mr. Gleeson's corporate identities), in other states such as Texas
and Florida and thus has spread his illegal activity nation wide
therefore falling within the jurisdiction of the FBI. Not long ago a
complaint was made to the FBI by a Mr. William Noll regarding Mr.
Gleeson / Richard's impersonation of the famous British Music
Producer, Steve Levine. On knowledge and belief, Mr. Gleeson has been
posing as Steve Levine for many years, even prior to 1994. On
knowledge and belief, no action by the FBI has been taken nor has been
scheduled to be taken against Mr. Gleeson. Mr. Levine’s attorneys are
believed to have issued a cease and desist order against Mr. Gleeson /
Richard.
Hopefully, this letter will make you aware of the illegal fraudulent
activities being perpetrated by Mr. Gleeson and thereby help to
protect the general public. In a sense Mr. Gleeson is a "clear and
present danger" to public health. He involves himself in the
treatment of acutely ill individuals, some of whom have life
threatening illnesses. He is also particularly fond of treating
infants and children, and many parents rely on his medical corporation
as the sole health care provider for their children.
All of the patients are referred to Mr. Gleeson / Richard's medical
facilities, by another patient or someone known to Mr. Gleeson. NO
ONE GETS IN UNLESS THEY ARE REFERRED BY A KNOWN INDIVIDUAL. In the
past all calls to Mr. Gleeson / Richard's office during working hours
were forwarded to an answering service, which thoroughly questioned
each prospective patient. Prospective patients had to supply the name
of a current or former patient who referred them. The referral had to
be verified before any appointment was made.
In the last years of his Manhattan practice, Mr.Gleeson/Richard was
no longer using an answering service. The voicemail for Bioessentials
was telephone number (212) 759-1999.
In the past Dr. Alarid was on premises some of the time to "supervise"
him, perform physical examinations, intravenous therapy, phlebotomy,
etc. But due to her advanced age and increasing frailty and given his
past history, it is possible that Mr. Gleeson / Richard opportunizes
on her confused mental state and desperation to afford himself the
opportunity to "play doctor" when she is off premises. This activity
may include invasive medical procedures such as physical examination,
procurement of laboratory specimens, hypodermic injection,
phlebotomy / venipuncture, intravenous therapy, etc.
Dr. Alarid continues to reside at 351 E. 84th St., phone number (212)
472-7926, and has been known to treat patients at that location in the
1980’s and 90’s. Her present condition probably precludes any type of
patient care.
On Memorial Day weekend 2004, Mr. Gleeson / Richard and Dr. Alarid
moved their practice to 118 E 37th St., Ground Floor, in Manhattan.
This was a forced move because they were being evicted.
Mr. Gleeson/Richard was sued by the landlord of 221 W 57th St., 11th
Floor, for being approximately $200,000 in arrears. His corporation
was the lease holder of the 11th Floor premise, and he subletted the
premise to 2 or 3 legitimate physicians under his company name
Bioessentials, Inc. They have no professional connection with Mr.
Gleeson/Richard or Dr. Alarid. These physicians arrived one day to
work to discover themselves locked out of their offices. At least one
of the doctors sued Mr. Gleeson / Richard to no avail.
A Ms. T. Owen, landlord of the 37th Street location indicated that Mr.
Gleeson / Richard did not pay rent most of the time of his tenancy.
Although it has not yet been confirmed, it is believed that he
repeated the same “business plan” at his next location on 50 Street.
Mr. Gleeson / Richard is very adept at avoiding judgements and paying
attorneys fees.
The owner at 405 E 50th St., who only identified herself as Kaye,
became very agitated when Mr. Gleeson / Richard ‘s name was mentioned
to her. She refused to give any information except in response to a
letter from an attorney.
Mr. Gleeson/Richard will likely seek another "patsy" soon due to Dr.
Alarid’s advanced age and condition. Mr. Gleeson/Richard would finally
be deported if faced with another conviction. Although it is not
illegal for him to see clients and sell them nutritional and
homeopathic products, ordering blood tests and writing prescriptions
with Dr. Alarid's name, and giving subcutaneous, intramuscular, and
intravenous injections and infusions are a different matter. Recent
evidence gathered in 2008 indicates that Mr. Richard ran an ad in The
New York Times in an attempt to find a replacement for Dr. Alarid, but
he was not successful. Dr. Alarid is rarely on the premise now,
leaving Mr. Richard largely unsupervised, and when present, she
appears to be obviously demented. If she were to be interviewed and
examined by the Office of Professional Medical Conduct of New York
State, there is no question her medical license would be revoked. Also
recently, her condition deteriorated so much that her family has
applied to the New York court system to obtain guardianship of her. By
the end of March 2009, Mr. Richard/Gleeson closed his 80 Madison
Avenue office in Manhattan. He stopped referring to himself as a
doctor, calling himself only a nutritionist, and removed his name from
the office door prior to closing the office. This was probably
precipitated by a combination of University of Paris- Sud notifying
various authorities of his fraud and Dr. Alarid’s complete lack of
functionality. He has retreated to his home on Long Island to
concentrate on his gemmotherapy business, but will most likely
continue to treat patients from his home.
Since Mr. Gleeson / Richard is a Greencard holder with a 5 count Class
E Felony conviction in 1983 which is within 5 - 10 years of obtaining
his Permanent Resident Status, (probably 5 years), he is subject to
deportation as he is ineligible for US Citizenship. Although he
travels freely between the United States and his native Canada, his
Canadian passport reads "Richard Gleeson," while his felony conviction
is under the name "Dominique Richard." Thus, port immigration
officials are never alerted regarding his criminal record.
In recent years, Mr. Richard, perhaps sensing that his years of
practicing medicine without a license are coming to an end, because no
legitimate physician will work with him, has focused on the
importation and manufacture of gemmotherapy- plant bud extracts. In a
clever marketing ploy, he renamed gemmotherapy “plant stem cell
therapy” and has been promoting it widely to naturopaths via the
internet , live seminars, and now , webinars. He first formed an
alliance with a Belgian company, Herbal Gem. They terminated their
relationship with him in 2008 when they discovered he had no
credentials. Inquiry can be made through the contact info on their
website www.herbalgem.com. They can also be contacted at the following
address: Philippe Andrianne, Founder and Managing Director and Sergio
Calandri, Managing Director; Herbal Gem; Bihain,28; Vielsam, B 6690;
Belgium. He then associated himself with the Italian gemmotherapy
company, Forza Vitale, which will probably also terminate their
relationship with him shortly. Forza Vitale was notified recently by
University of Paris- Sud that he is a fraud. He is planning to have a
book published on Gemmotherapy. He first had a tentative publishing
deal with St. Martin’s Press, however, they terminated it when, again,
they discovered he had no credentials, and he is currently attempting
to deceive a German publisher. Mr. Richard has given live seminars for
continuing education credits to naturopaths in Washington State,
Oregon, California, and British Columbia. The Oregon Board of
Naturopathic Examiners, and its executive director Anne Walsh recently
barred Mr. Richard from giving such courses in Oregon and rescinded
the credits from his 3 day seminar in October 2008, because Mr.
Richard failed to provide them with credentials. Anne Walsh can be
reached for comment at anne.walsh@ state.or.us. The phone number for
the Oregon Naturopathic Board is 1-971-673-0193. The minutes of the
Oregon Board’s December 2008 meeting in which Mr. Richard was denied
continuing education credits for his October 2008 seminar are posted
on the internet. Other states will soon follow suit. “Dr.” Richard now
has a large series of webinars planned on his current website
www.plantstemcellnutrition.com. Perhaps he is unaware that internet
fraud is a federal offense; however, we expect he will soon be
enlightened. Lastly, it should be mentioned that Mr. Richard, true to
his character, conned loyal, long-term patients into funding his first
business with the Belgian company, Herbal Gem, then absconded with all
the profits in the company. The details of this matter can be obtained
by contacting the officers of www.gemmos-usa.com.
Mr. Richard/Gleeson still has his staunch supporters, specifically
some of the practitioners he has trained. Dr. Thomas Abshier, ND, a
fundamentalist Christian naturopath practicing in Portland, Oregon,
extols “Dr.” Richard as the world’s foremost authority on gemmotherapy
on his website, www.naturedox.com. Dr. Abshier has been informed of
Mr. Richard/Gleeson’s fraud. Dr. Elizabeth Hesse-Sheehan DC,
www.experiencehealth.info is also well aware of his status but
continues to help perpetuate his fraud.
Thousands of American Citizens have been defrauded and/or had their
health put at risk by this individual. In the past, Mr. Gleeson /
Richard vacated his residence at 60 DeKoven Court, Brooklyn, New York,
leaving his landlady tens of thousands of dollars in arrears and
illegally selling her furniture to neighbors claiming the furniture to
be his own. Unless Mr. Gleeson / Richard is deported or incarcerated,
his crime wave will continue as long as he desires to continue to
conduct business this way. This letter attempts to expose this
illegal behavior by this uncredentialed individual so that no more
members of the general public will be victimized by him.
Anyone reading this who is either a victim of Mr. Richard/Gleeson, is
considering entering a business relationship with him, or has further
information to contribute may make inquiry or forward information to
(e-mail address removed).
association with Mr. Dominique Richard / Richard Gleeson, an
unlicensed and uncredentialed person who presents himself as having
completed an education in allopathic medicine and naturopathy in
France. Mr. Richard / Gleeson is a Caucasian male in his 60's. He
uses the birthdate of September 4, 1942, but this birthdate may be
false. Please read the concise criminal history of Dominique
Richard / Richard Gleeson annexed hereto.
Mr. Richard / Gleeson also represents that he has spent many years
studying with the famous French Homeopath Max Tetau. In 1997
inquiries were sent to both the Ministry of Health in Paris, France,
and the Canadian Ministry of Health for the Province of Quebec.
Neither agency had any record of Dominque Richard or Richard Gleeson,
(His Canadian Passport Name), as a physician. It is possible, but
very unlikely, that Mr. Richard / Gleeson was educated as a physician
in France or Canada, but never applied for licensure or registration.
However, Mr. Richard / Gleeson’s company website www.plantstemcellnutrition.com
and his biographical narrative which he releases to his business
contacts uses the credential lettering MD (Medical Doctor) and ND
(Naturopathic Medical Doctor). Further, in these documents Mr.
Richard / Gleeson claims to be a graduate of University of Paris,
Sud. Based on information from University of Paris, Sud and Mr.
Richard / Gleeson’s age and known whereabouts during his lifetime, it
would appear that Mr. Richard / Gleeson is representing to have
graduated before the university even began granting MD degrees.
University of Paris, Sud began teaching its first Medical Degree
classes in 1980. Mr. Richard/Gleeson has in his possession a “diploma”
from University of Paris- Sud with his name and a graduation date of
1964, as well as an “official” certification of said diploma. Both
have been denounced as forgeries by the University itself. For
verification of this Anna Fravola-Bongrand from the University of
Paris-Sud legal department may be contacted at anne.fravola-bongrand@u-
psud.fr or tel. 01-69-15 31 19. University of Paris, Sud does not
appear to teach or grant ND (naturopathic) or Homeopathic degrees at
all. Except for a few years in the mid-1980's while he was a fugitive
on the run from the New York Police and New York State Attorney
General’s Office for practicing medicine without a license and other
felony charges, Mr. Richard / Gleeson has been in New York since the
mid 1970's.
It is possible that Mr. Richard / Gleeson may have spent time in
Europe while he was a fugitive from his felony charges. It is
possible that during this time he met Max Tetau. An inquiry was made
in 1997 of Max Tetau regarding Mr. Richard / Gleeson’s education with
Dr. Tetau. Dr. Tetau remembered Mr. Richard / Gleeson, but could not
remember if Mr. Richard / Gleeson had taken any courses with Dr.
Tetau. Please take note that a valid Medical Diploma is a
prerequisite for joining and taking courses with the Society of
Biotherapy.
While Mr. Richard / Gleeson does appear to have knowledge of
homeopathy and gemmotherapy, he has been misrepresenting himself for
at least 3 decades in New York City and elsewhere in the United States
and he has never been able to produce authentic , verifiable
educational credentials.
Also please take note, in the past Mr. Richard / Gleeson has initiated
lawsuits as a means of intimidating individuals and organizations
attempting to seek redress and recompense for his deceptions; however,
Mr. Richard / Gleeson does not even pay his own attorneys and thus his
legal actions expire unresolved and dismissed.
Dominique Richard is a common name (for both men and women) in both
France and French Canada. In France there is at least one Physician
named Dominique Richard who is published in the medical literature.
In Quebec there is a Dominique Richard PhD who is a Molecular
Biologist who is also published in the medical literature. It is
possible that Mr. Richard / Gleeson obtained another individual’s
diploma, possibly altering it, and is using it as his own. Since it
seems that Mr. Richard / Gleeson’s apparent specialty is fraud. Any
Diploma or Certificate he presents should be authenticated thoroughly
with the issuing institution or agency.
A Dr. Richard Weiland (914) 681-5112, a real Homeopath in Valhalla,
NY, knew Mr. Richard / Gleeson in the early to mid 1980's. Dr.
Weiland states that Mr. Richard / Gleeson did not even know how to
measure blood pressure, perform physical examinations, nor give
injections at the time that he first met Mr. Richard / Gleeson. At
that time, Mr. Richard / Gleeson was calling himself a Chiropractor
and was performing Chiropractic Adjustments on unsuspecting patients
using a floor mattress in his Greenwich Village apartment.
If you intend to continue your business relationship with Mr.
Richard / Gleeson, you are urged strongly to rigorously verify and
authenticate, by all means legal and practical, any credentials he
presents or purports to possess. You are now cognizant that there are
great questions and serious failings in his background. Please do
what is right and help protect others from his illegal behavior.
CONCISE CRIMINAL HISTORY OF DOMINIQUE RICHARD / RICHARD GLEESON:
Dominique Richard has been a one man crime wave that has been plaguing
New York for approximately 30 years. Many people have been defrauded
by Mr. Richard Gleeson, a.k.a. Dominique Richard, a.k.a. Steve Levine,
a.k.a. William Healey. He is a Canadian national, but he has a U.S.
Social Security Number ( 098-68-6537 ) in the name of Dominique
Richard.
He has resided at 60 DeKoven Court, Brooklyn, New York, and conducted
business at 221 West 57th. Street, 11th. Floor, New York, New York
10019. In mid 2004 he moved his business location to 118 E 37th St.,
Ground Floor, in the Murray Hill neighborhood of Manhattan for less
than 2 years, and was at the time believed to be residing at an
unknown location on Fire Island. He next moved to 405 E 50 Street,
Ground Floor for a short period of time, before moving to his current
location at 80 Madison Avenue, Apt. 4E. He moves frequently often
owing his landlords large sums of money in arrears.
He has been practicing medicine under the name "Dominique Richard" and
he presents himself to the public as "Dominique Richard, MD and ND" a
"famous" physician educated in France, and the son of the famous
French actress Jeanne Moreau. Ms. Moreau has publically declared that
Mr. Gleeson / Richard is not her son in her biography "La Moreau." On
knowledge and belief, Mr. Gleeson / Richard is an uneducated French
Canadian, failed former rock and roll musician, and the only New York
state license he ever held was that as a hairdresser and
cosmetologist.
He has been practicing medicine without a license in the U.S. for
approximately 30 years in various ways. He tells patients, co-
workers, and the general public that he was a physician in France,
however, no verifiable records are accessible to substantiate this
claim and he has been proven in the past to create fraudulent records
to further this misrepresentation. It is also believed that in the
past he has posed as a licensed Chiropractor, and it was discovered
that he had been impersonating the famous British record producer,
Steve Levine.
In the early 1980's Mr. Gleeson ran a bogus cancer clinic which was
licensed as a hospice in the Millbrook / New Paltz area. He charged
$10,000 to "treat" terminally ill cancer patients, and he was also
practicing medicine without a license in several boroughs of New York
City. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Gleeson was convicted in New York on 5
counts of practicing medicine without a license (felony). Having been
"busted" for "playing doctor," Mr. Gleeson apparently felt having
"Real" doctors on premises would legitimize his activities. Using his
fake credentials as a physician, and employment contracts allegedly
approved by an attorney, Mr. Gleeson employed physicians during the
period 1984 through 1997 in medical corporations operating under a
number of various corporate names. What Mr. Gleeson failed to realize
is that without the proper form of holding corporation, it is illegal
in New York for a non-physician to employ physicians. The physicians
Mr. Gleeson employed were unaware of his fakery, believing that he was
in fact a physician as he identified himself to be. This illusion was
furthered by the employment contract he had them sign which he
represented as being "attorney approved."
Sadly, Mr. Gleeson was not satisfied to simply be an herbalist and
collect large sums of money from the patients of his clinic, his
recidivist nature compelled him to still "play doctor." Unbeknownst
to each physician at the time, Mr. Gleeson would engage in medical
practice when the "real" licensed physicians were not on premises.
This activity may have included invasive medical procedures such as
physical examination, procurement of laboratory specimens, hypodermic
injection, phlebotomy / venipuncture, intravenous therapy, etc. When
each physician discovered that he was "playing out of bounds," they
would terminate their business relationship with Mr. Gleeson and his
clinic. Mr. Gleeson would then seek out and find the next licensed
physician to be his "patsy."
During 1997 Mr. Gleeson switched tactics by first setting up the
licensed physician as a sole proprietor, but with Mr. Gleeson
remaining in control of all the funds. He also took on a business
associate, a Mr. Alex Nimmervoll, who without the knowledge or consent
of the licensed physician, opened a fraudulent second clinic to engage
in fraudulent insurance billing.
In 1998 Mr. Gleeson switched tactics again. He had the licensed
physician set up as a Professional Corporation, again with himself
controlling all of the funds and taking the majority of the practice
income for himself. The most current licensed physician, Dr. Anna Pla
Alarid, MD is sole shareholder of the corporation, Bioessentials
Medical Services, Inc. Dr. Alarid is an elderly woman who is
financially destitute, and exhibits signs of mental confusion. She is
thus an ideal "front" for Mr. Gleeson's illegal activities. She is
also herself a convicted felon, (for intent to distribute 150
kilograms of cocaine in 1989).
Mr. Gleeson, who functions in that practice as "Dominique Richard," is
the "true" owner of the practice who controls all funds. (Until
recent years, Mr. Gleeson’s office manager, Mr. Paull Matheson, a
terminally ill, former drug addict who passed away, assisted Mr.
Gleeson in maintaining absolute control over all of the practice
funds). The majority of the practice income is appropriated by Mr.
Gleeson / Richard. Mr. Gleeson / Richard's company is Bioessentials
Inc. On knowledge and belief, there is no formal agreement between
Dr. Alarid and Mr. Gleeson such as often exists between a Professional
Corporation and a Management Company.
Mr. Gleeson had a large, loyal following of patients, some of whom had
been using the medical services of his corporations for twenty years
and longer under the belief that he is all that he represents himself
to be. He grossed over a million dollars a year from the sale of
medical services, and he has convinced many patients to spend as much
as $15,000 or more per year at his clinics.
Multiple complaints were filed with the New York District Attorney,
New York Attorney General (212) 416-8750, the New York State
Department of Health, and the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
As a result of a recent change in Immigration Law, Mr. Gleeson is no
longer eligible for citizenship or residency in the U.S. since he is a
convicted felon in New York. Further, Mr. Gleeson engaged in a "Green
Card Marriage" to obtain Permanent Resident status. The District
Attorney declined to pursue Mr. Gleeson giving the reason that the
Attorney General has jurisdiction over the matter. The Attorney
General initially declined to pursue Mr. Gleeson, but had decided to
place the matter in suspense until more evidence was available. The
New York State Department of Health also has the matter of Mr.
Gleeson under review pending more evidence. The INS has indicated
that while Mr. Gleeson is subject to deportation, he is on a very long
list of people subject to deportation. The INS suggested that if one
of the Judicial or Police authority agencies, such as the District
Attorney, Attorney General, or FBI were to "Officially" notify them
that Mr. Gleeson was a higher priority, they would accelerate the
process of his deportation.
Mr. Gleeson has incorporated his company Bioessentials Inc., (another
of Mr. Gleeson's corporate identities), in other states such as Texas
and Florida and thus has spread his illegal activity nation wide
therefore falling within the jurisdiction of the FBI. Not long ago a
complaint was made to the FBI by a Mr. William Noll regarding Mr.
Gleeson / Richard's impersonation of the famous British Music
Producer, Steve Levine. On knowledge and belief, Mr. Gleeson has been
posing as Steve Levine for many years, even prior to 1994. On
knowledge and belief, no action by the FBI has been taken nor has been
scheduled to be taken against Mr. Gleeson. Mr. Levine’s attorneys are
believed to have issued a cease and desist order against Mr. Gleeson /
Richard.
Hopefully, this letter will make you aware of the illegal fraudulent
activities being perpetrated by Mr. Gleeson and thereby help to
protect the general public. In a sense Mr. Gleeson is a "clear and
present danger" to public health. He involves himself in the
treatment of acutely ill individuals, some of whom have life
threatening illnesses. He is also particularly fond of treating
infants and children, and many parents rely on his medical corporation
as the sole health care provider for their children.
All of the patients are referred to Mr. Gleeson / Richard's medical
facilities, by another patient or someone known to Mr. Gleeson. NO
ONE GETS IN UNLESS THEY ARE REFERRED BY A KNOWN INDIVIDUAL. In the
past all calls to Mr. Gleeson / Richard's office during working hours
were forwarded to an answering service, which thoroughly questioned
each prospective patient. Prospective patients had to supply the name
of a current or former patient who referred them. The referral had to
be verified before any appointment was made.
In the last years of his Manhattan practice, Mr.Gleeson/Richard was
no longer using an answering service. The voicemail for Bioessentials
was telephone number (212) 759-1999.
In the past Dr. Alarid was on premises some of the time to "supervise"
him, perform physical examinations, intravenous therapy, phlebotomy,
etc. But due to her advanced age and increasing frailty and given his
past history, it is possible that Mr. Gleeson / Richard opportunizes
on her confused mental state and desperation to afford himself the
opportunity to "play doctor" when she is off premises. This activity
may include invasive medical procedures such as physical examination,
procurement of laboratory specimens, hypodermic injection,
phlebotomy / venipuncture, intravenous therapy, etc.
Dr. Alarid continues to reside at 351 E. 84th St., phone number (212)
472-7926, and has been known to treat patients at that location in the
1980’s and 90’s. Her present condition probably precludes any type of
patient care.
On Memorial Day weekend 2004, Mr. Gleeson / Richard and Dr. Alarid
moved their practice to 118 E 37th St., Ground Floor, in Manhattan.
This was a forced move because they were being evicted.
Mr. Gleeson/Richard was sued by the landlord of 221 W 57th St., 11th
Floor, for being approximately $200,000 in arrears. His corporation
was the lease holder of the 11th Floor premise, and he subletted the
premise to 2 or 3 legitimate physicians under his company name
Bioessentials, Inc. They have no professional connection with Mr.
Gleeson/Richard or Dr. Alarid. These physicians arrived one day to
work to discover themselves locked out of their offices. At least one
of the doctors sued Mr. Gleeson / Richard to no avail.
A Ms. T. Owen, landlord of the 37th Street location indicated that Mr.
Gleeson / Richard did not pay rent most of the time of his tenancy.
Although it has not yet been confirmed, it is believed that he
repeated the same “business plan” at his next location on 50 Street.
Mr. Gleeson / Richard is very adept at avoiding judgements and paying
attorneys fees.
The owner at 405 E 50th St., who only identified herself as Kaye,
became very agitated when Mr. Gleeson / Richard ‘s name was mentioned
to her. She refused to give any information except in response to a
letter from an attorney.
Mr. Gleeson/Richard will likely seek another "patsy" soon due to Dr.
Alarid’s advanced age and condition. Mr. Gleeson/Richard would finally
be deported if faced with another conviction. Although it is not
illegal for him to see clients and sell them nutritional and
homeopathic products, ordering blood tests and writing prescriptions
with Dr. Alarid's name, and giving subcutaneous, intramuscular, and
intravenous injections and infusions are a different matter. Recent
evidence gathered in 2008 indicates that Mr. Richard ran an ad in The
New York Times in an attempt to find a replacement for Dr. Alarid, but
he was not successful. Dr. Alarid is rarely on the premise now,
leaving Mr. Richard largely unsupervised, and when present, she
appears to be obviously demented. If she were to be interviewed and
examined by the Office of Professional Medical Conduct of New York
State, there is no question her medical license would be revoked. Also
recently, her condition deteriorated so much that her family has
applied to the New York court system to obtain guardianship of her. By
the end of March 2009, Mr. Richard/Gleeson closed his 80 Madison
Avenue office in Manhattan. He stopped referring to himself as a
doctor, calling himself only a nutritionist, and removed his name from
the office door prior to closing the office. This was probably
precipitated by a combination of University of Paris- Sud notifying
various authorities of his fraud and Dr. Alarid’s complete lack of
functionality. He has retreated to his home on Long Island to
concentrate on his gemmotherapy business, but will most likely
continue to treat patients from his home.
Since Mr. Gleeson / Richard is a Greencard holder with a 5 count Class
E Felony conviction in 1983 which is within 5 - 10 years of obtaining
his Permanent Resident Status, (probably 5 years), he is subject to
deportation as he is ineligible for US Citizenship. Although he
travels freely between the United States and his native Canada, his
Canadian passport reads "Richard Gleeson," while his felony conviction
is under the name "Dominique Richard." Thus, port immigration
officials are never alerted regarding his criminal record.
In recent years, Mr. Richard, perhaps sensing that his years of
practicing medicine without a license are coming to an end, because no
legitimate physician will work with him, has focused on the
importation and manufacture of gemmotherapy- plant bud extracts. In a
clever marketing ploy, he renamed gemmotherapy “plant stem cell
therapy” and has been promoting it widely to naturopaths via the
internet , live seminars, and now , webinars. He first formed an
alliance with a Belgian company, Herbal Gem. They terminated their
relationship with him in 2008 when they discovered he had no
credentials. Inquiry can be made through the contact info on their
website www.herbalgem.com. They can also be contacted at the following
address: Philippe Andrianne, Founder and Managing Director and Sergio
Calandri, Managing Director; Herbal Gem; Bihain,28; Vielsam, B 6690;
Belgium. He then associated himself with the Italian gemmotherapy
company, Forza Vitale, which will probably also terminate their
relationship with him shortly. Forza Vitale was notified recently by
University of Paris- Sud that he is a fraud. He is planning to have a
book published on Gemmotherapy. He first had a tentative publishing
deal with St. Martin’s Press, however, they terminated it when, again,
they discovered he had no credentials, and he is currently attempting
to deceive a German publisher. Mr. Richard has given live seminars for
continuing education credits to naturopaths in Washington State,
Oregon, California, and British Columbia. The Oregon Board of
Naturopathic Examiners, and its executive director Anne Walsh recently
barred Mr. Richard from giving such courses in Oregon and rescinded
the credits from his 3 day seminar in October 2008, because Mr.
Richard failed to provide them with credentials. Anne Walsh can be
reached for comment at anne.walsh@ state.or.us. The phone number for
the Oregon Naturopathic Board is 1-971-673-0193. The minutes of the
Oregon Board’s December 2008 meeting in which Mr. Richard was denied
continuing education credits for his October 2008 seminar are posted
on the internet. Other states will soon follow suit. “Dr.” Richard now
has a large series of webinars planned on his current website
www.plantstemcellnutrition.com. Perhaps he is unaware that internet
fraud is a federal offense; however, we expect he will soon be
enlightened. Lastly, it should be mentioned that Mr. Richard, true to
his character, conned loyal, long-term patients into funding his first
business with the Belgian company, Herbal Gem, then absconded with all
the profits in the company. The details of this matter can be obtained
by contacting the officers of www.gemmos-usa.com.
Mr. Richard/Gleeson still has his staunch supporters, specifically
some of the practitioners he has trained. Dr. Thomas Abshier, ND, a
fundamentalist Christian naturopath practicing in Portland, Oregon,
extols “Dr.” Richard as the world’s foremost authority on gemmotherapy
on his website, www.naturedox.com. Dr. Abshier has been informed of
Mr. Richard/Gleeson’s fraud. Dr. Elizabeth Hesse-Sheehan DC,
www.experiencehealth.info is also well aware of his status but
continues to help perpetuate his fraud.
Thousands of American Citizens have been defrauded and/or had their
health put at risk by this individual. In the past, Mr. Gleeson /
Richard vacated his residence at 60 DeKoven Court, Brooklyn, New York,
leaving his landlady tens of thousands of dollars in arrears and
illegally selling her furniture to neighbors claiming the furniture to
be his own. Unless Mr. Gleeson / Richard is deported or incarcerated,
his crime wave will continue as long as he desires to continue to
conduct business this way. This letter attempts to expose this
illegal behavior by this uncredentialed individual so that no more
members of the general public will be victimized by him.
Anyone reading this who is either a victim of Mr. Richard/Gleeson, is
considering entering a business relationship with him, or has further
information to contribute may make inquiry or forward information to
(e-mail address removed).