Appleton man who posed as doctor found guilty of 13 counts
A man who posed as a doctor in Appleton has reached a plea agreement with prosecutors.
On Dec. 19, Kyle G. Larsen pleaded no contest to 13 of 18 charges against him. Five counts were dismissed but read into the record.
The judge accepted the pleas and convicted Larsen, 33, of the following charges:
Theft-False Representation (3 counts)
Manufacture or Deliver Prescription Drug (1 count)
Manufacture/Deliver Non-Narcotics (1 count)
Maintain Drug Trafficking Place (1 count)
Practice Medicine without a License (2 counts)
Practice Pharmacy without a License (3 counts)
Unlicensed Practice of Psychology (2 counts)
A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.
Prosecutors say Larsen claimed to be a doctor named Kyle Ellis and opened an office called Medical Psychology of Wisconsin, LLC.
Larsen gave Ritalin and Amoxicillin to patients without a prescription; gave a patient diagnosed with schizophrenia a shot, which Larsen later said was a flu shot; and gave liquid concoctions, including a blue liquid and a prescription medication mixed with water and oil, to a patient with depression.
The complaint says in one case, Larsen contacted a patient's employer and provided them with updates on her treatment. She ended up resigning from her job.
That patient told police "Dr. Ellis" also texted her, many times some days, with inappropriate messages.
Some of Larsen's patients found him through Craigslist ads, others from Facebook friend referrals.
Larsen didn't accept insurance and made everyone pay in cash. One patient paid him $20 and he said he would continue treating her for free.
Larsen told investigators he had been a licensed practical nurse but lost his job after he was arrested for theft, and it was hard to get a nursing job after that. He was working as a janitor, and had the idea to start a medical practice with a real doctor but he had a hard time getting started. He also admitted his practice wasn't really a limited liability corporation because he couldn't afford the paperwork for an LLC.
Asked where he got the medical equipment for his office, Larsen said he bought it off Craigslist, at garage sales and from a retired chiropractor. Police also say Larsen broke into a dental office in his Wisconsin Ave. office building to steal equipment and a prescription pad.