Ivan C Namihas

Dr. Ivan Namihas, the former Tustin gynecologist who became the subject of the largest sexual abuse medical investigation in California history, was convicted Monday at his retrial on 15 counts of mail fraud. Jurors deliberated for five hours before agreeing that the 63-year-old doctor duped nine patients into believing that they had deadly diseases such as cancer and AIDS, and then used the mail to bill them and their insurance companies for unnecessary laser surgery.

Dr. Ivan Namihas, the former Tustin gynecologist who became the subject of the largest-ever sexual-abuse medical investigation in California history, was convicted Monday at his retrial on 15 counts of mail fraud. Jurors deliberated for five hours before agreeing that the 63-year-old doctor duped nine patients into believing they had deadly diseases, such as cancer and AIDS, then used the mails to bill them and their insurance companies for unnecessary laser surgery.

In separate complaints, the Medical Board of California has accused a Los Alamitos anesthesiologist of gross negligence in the death of a patient and charged that a Tustin obstetrician sexually abused his patients. State officials are seeking to revoke or suspend the medical licenses of Howard J. Rosen, chief of anesthesiology at Los Alamitos Medical Center, and Tustin obstetrician Ivan C. Namihas. Rosen said: "The allegations are incorrect.

The state agency that certifies doctors has formally voted to remove the license of controversial gynecologist Ivan C. Namihas, who maintained an office here. The action was widely expected since Dr. Namihas last month declined to defend himself at an administrative hearing. He was charged at that hearing with sexually abusing or otherwise mistreating more than 60 female patients.

The guilt or innocence of gynecologist Ivan C. Namihas, who has been accused of sexually molesting many women patients, has yet to be determined. But something is terribly wrong with a state review system that allowed complaints filed against the Tustin physician over many years to receive so little attention.

An Orange marriage counselor was accused Monday of engaging in a sexual relationship with a patient in 1978, according to the Medical Board of California. The therapist, Leroy Jay Cordrey, could lose his license in a hearing before the Board of Psychology. Cordrey referred inquiries to his attorney, Russell Iungerich, who called the accusation "ancient history" and "a long-dead event." He said no sexual activity took place while the woman was Cordrey's patient or at his office.

Working on a separate track from the previous Orange County district attorney's inquiry into accusations of sex crimes, federal prosecutors have indicted former Tustin gynecologist Ivan C. Namihas on mail fraud charges for allegedly billing patients and insurers for unnecessary tests and treatments. The fact that sexual abuse charges could not be brought presents reason for Sacramento to reconsider the length of the statute of limitations on that kind of crime in certain circumstances.

California's rate of doctor discipline ranked lower than that of 33 other states in 1994, according to a national survey released Thursday. The survey, compiled by the consumer watchdog group Public Citizen, was part of a study of punishment meted out against doctors for incompetence, criminal convictions, sexual misconduct with patients, drug and alcohol abuse and other offenses from 1986 through 1994.