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Four Arrests Made in Connection to Weight Loss Clinics
11/02/09 - 03:27 PM
Florida Department of Law Enforcement
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click for larger image Tallahassee, Fla:

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and the Florida Department of Health today announced the arrest of four individuals employed with two Tallahassee weight loss clinics.  Dr. Stephen Duncan, 46, owner of Resolutions Weight Loss and the Men’s Center of Tallahassee, and Dr. Mark Hash, 48, supervising physician at First Impression Weight Loss, were charged with writing prescriptions for controlled substances with no medical necessity, a third-degree felony.  Jane Watts, 61, owner of First Impression Weight Loss, and her employee Shakisha Curry, 35, were charged with practicing a health care profession without a license, a third-degree felony. 

The investigation began in June 2008 when FDLE received information alleging Dr. Duncan was prescribing Phendimetrazine, a Schedule III controlled stimulant used to manage weight loss, to patients he had not medically examined.  The investigation further revealed that Dr. Duncan prescribed Phendimetrazine from his Tallahassee office to patients visiting his clinics in Georgia and North Carolina, as well as to patients visiting his clinics in Orlando, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Chattahoochee, and Panama City, Fla.  Dr. Duncan was charged with nine counts of writing prescriptions for controlled substances with no medical necessity.

FDLE began investigating Dr. Hash following allegations that he was prescribing Phendimetrazine to patients he had not initially examined.  The investigation revealed that initial examinations of new patients were being performed by non-licensed individuals who also provided them with Phendimetrazine with little to no supervision by the physician.  Dr. Hash was charged with two counts of writing prescriptions for controlled substances with no medical necessity. 

Jane Watts was presenting herself as a Nutritional Counselor and Shakisha Curry was presenting herself as a Licensed Practical Nurse as part of First Impression’s medical staff.  Neither was licensed by the State of Florida to perform any medical service.  They were each charged with practicing a health care profession without a license.

This case will be prosecuted by the State Attorney’s Office, 2nd Judicial Circuit. All four subjects were booked into the Leon County Jail.

User Comments

When I say warning I am talking about Dr. Duncan. Of course ppl shouldnt be saying they are nurses when they aren’t but have you seen this Docs credentials?  I think that he is well qualified to be giving this medication. He does EKGs and bloodwork before he gives it to anyone and I also know that he pulls it from you as soon as he hears that it is misused. You can buy drugs like this over the counter that have worse effects, like feeling like your heart is going to explode!!!

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  on  11/20  at  01:00 PM

This is just stupid, if people are over weight and the prescriptions help them lose weight then leave them the F alone. I have family members that are over weight who would love to have a doctor willing to help them.

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  on  11/06  at  01:38 AM

I have seen a waste of tax payers money to this excess in my 36 years on this earth!! Child rapist,REAL drug dealers, drunk drivers, illigeal imagrants are NOT more importantthat A DR. trying to help poeple lose wieght.Obesity is a major killer in the nation, and they are using their manpower, hours of investigations,“INTEL”,for what? Oh ya ,,, people losing weight!!!! Protect and serve, well, you guys did a great job of getting a real criminal off the streets. I relly can’t see this beening justifed for a 1 and a half year “probe”, If they added up the tax dollars they spent on this case,is it worth what they got out of it?? Leon County, Dept.of Health and FDLE, good job, good job on wasting my tax dollars. Please do not try to find and meth labs, child molesters, sexual predators. We relly need them still on the streets.

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  on  11/05  at  11:16 PM

not referring to her, but since you mention Dr. Reed, I cannot believe that Ex-Dr Reed is apparently paying for Cooper’s attorney, but he can’t pay for his children’s child support! Guess he has his priorities mixed up!

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  on  11/05  at  04:56 PM

FSUGIRL83…..if your speaking of Dr. Myra Reed, then you are sadly mistaken if you think she is a legit doctor.  SHE is the one who brought all this up.  She actually called FDLE and the Department of Health on Dr. Duncan because he was taking so much of her patients away from her because her own patients didn’t like her.  She was jealous and made these alligations.  Some people just can’t have a little competition.  Guess she’s got to get more money somehow seeing her alimony might not be coming anymore because her dope dealing husband may be going to federal prison….lol

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  on  11/04  at  07:02 PM

I’m actually on this med….BUT I do go to a legit Dr. and she does examine me! This med can have side effects! Who can you trust anymore?!

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  on  11/04  at  03:45 PM

Oh sure, anybody should be able to write prescriptions and say they are professional health care workers.  These charges are totally legit, someone could have had a bad reaction to the medicine and died because they weren’t given the proper information. And to represent yourself as a licensed nurse is completely fraudulent. You can’t condone these actions with just a warning.

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  on  11/04  at  12:36 PM

What a joke.  If what he was doing was so bad and so detrimental to peoples health then why did they let him do it for 1.5 years before they made an arrest?  Obviously they aren’t too concerned with the clients health, they just want to make an arrest.  It sounds like something that a simple warning would have taken care of.

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  on  11/02  at  07:36 PM
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