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Man Arrested for Unlawfully Practicing Medicine |
Lexington County Sheriff’s Department detectives obtained an arrest warrant for a 48-year-old Austell, Ga. man on charges that the man unlawfully practiced medicine between February 15 and August 22 at five facilities that provide medical care for senior citizens in Lexington and Richland counties.
Lexington County Sheriff James R. Metts said members of a U.S. Marshals Service fugitive task force arrested Ernest Osei Addo, 48, at about 4:30 p.m. on Friday, August 24 at Addo’s home at 1729 Brandemere Drive, Austell, Ga. Addo was being held on Friday at the Cobb County Detention Center in Marietta, Ga. while awaiting extradition to Lexington County. Sheriff’s Department detectives drove to Marietta, Ga. on Friday night in order to interview Addo and eventually return Addo to Lexington County.
An arrest warrant alleges that Addo unlawfully practiced medicine between February 15 and August 22 at five facilities operated by Agape Senior while Addo was employed as a physician with Agape Primary Care, Metts said. Addo provided medical services to as many as 500 patients at the five facilities: Agape Senior West Columbia, 2705 Leaphart Road, West Columbia; Agape Senior Kathwood, 4520 Trenholm Road, Columbia; Agape Senior Harbison, 990 Columbia Avenue, Irmo; Agape Senior Lexington, 5422 Augusta Road, Lexington; and Agape Rehab, 300 Agape Drive, West Columbia.
Addo presented copies of documents to Agape Senior, claiming to be an Orangeburg man who is licensed to practice medicine in South Carolina, Metts said. After he presented the documents, Agape Senior hired Addo, who began unlawfully practicing medicine at Agape Senior facilities. Addo quit his employment with Agape Senior on Wednesday, August 22.
Agape Senior is cooperating fully with Sheriff’s Department detectives as they conduct an on-going investigation of Addo, Metts said. Addo is a personal friend of the Orangeburg man whose documents Addo presented to Agape Senior.
The Sheriff’s Department began investigating Addo on Wednesday after the Orangeburg man reported that he was the victim of identity theft and identified Addo as the man who assumed his identity, unlawfully practicing medicine in the man’s name and unlawfully obtaining and using credit cards that were issued in the man’s name, Metts said.
Detectives might file additional charges against Addo in connection with unlawfully prescribing medication and unlawfully receiving wages from Agape Senior, Metts said.
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