Doctor Dragged Off United Flight May Have Been Convicted Of Offering Prescription Drugs For Sex With Patient

A report claims to have uncovered the troubled past of a Dr. David Dao, who shares the name of a 69-year-old doctor who was dragged off a United Airline flight on Saturday in an incident that sparked public uproar. After disturbing cell phone footage emerged showing the Vietnamese-born doctor being dragged off an overbooked United Airlines flight by three security officers, a report published by the Louisville Courier-Journal claimed that court documents filed with the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure last June reveal that Dr. David Dao has a history of felony conviction for drug-related offense.

The doctor in question lost his medical license due to the conviction. There has been no confirmation that the two individuals are indeed the same person.

According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, documents filed with the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure show that a Dr. David Dao, who specializes in lung disorders, went to medical school in Vietnam in the 1970s before relocating to the U.S. This doctor was working as a pulmonologist in Kentucky when he was arrested in 2003 and convicted for drug-related offenses.

In 2003, a Jefferson County Grand Jury indicted him for “criminal acts of trafficking in a controlled substance, obtaining drugs by fraud and deceit, and unauthorized prescribing, dispensing or administering of controlled substances.”

@United overbook #flight3411 and decided to force random passengers off the plane. Here's how they did it: pic.twitter.com/QfefM8X2cW

— Jayse D. Anspach (@JayseDavid) April 10, 2017

In 2004, he was accused of illicitly giving prescriptions for controlled substances and eventually convicted of multiple felony counts for “obtaining drugs by fraud and deceit.” He was sentenced to five years of supervised probation in 2005 and forced to surrender his medical license. He finally regained his license in 2015 but was placed under restrictions and close monitoring.

According to the Daily Mail, the exact nature of his offense was that he offered prescriptions of controlled substances in exchange for sex with a male patient. He also obtained the controlled substances for his personal use.

Dao’s wife Teresa, also a medical practitioner, was reportedly the one who alerted the authorities to his misconduct. But she apparently stood by him during the period of his trial and conviction until he regained his license.

An official report detailing the findings of a psychiatric examination conducted on Dao stated that “he lacked the foundation to navigate difficult situations, both interpersonally and in a complex profession.”

“Dr Montgomery noted that Dr Dao appeared to have difficulties with information processing,” the report said. “Neuropsychological screening did not suggest gross difficulties. However, in reviewing records, it was noted that Dao tends to have poor decision-making despite his overall level of ability.”

According to AOL (via TMZ), Dr. David Dao was charged with 98 felony drug counts in 2003.. https://t.co/aJP66ukzqE pic.twitter.com/dKeVDzCcDS

— Flight (@flightorg) April 11, 2017

“His choices have resulted in significant consequences over the years yet he continues to function in this manner,” the report continued. “He is generally not forthright regarding details of events unless challenged and at times he will tell different versions of a story to different interviewers.”

Another medical examiner noted that “he would [often] unilaterally choose to do his own thing.”

“This remains a concern to this day and without a high degree of structure and accountability he is at risk for further boundary related practice issues.”

A Dr. David Dao was dragged off a United Airlines flight 3411 from Chicago to Louisville, after he refused to give up his seat for the airline’s staff. Footage taken by fellow passengers showing Dao bleeding from the mouth after he was manhandled by security officers at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport sparked public anger, with many accusing the security officers and United Airlines of heavy-handedness in the handling of the case involving a senior citizen.

Although United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz apologized publicly for the action, he praised United Airlines staff for the action in a private email to employees and claimed that Dao had to be forcibly removed because he “was disruptive and belligerent.”

He said flight crews offered up to $1,000 in compensation to passengers willing to give up their seats and catch the next flight. But when no one offered, Dao was selected randomly and approached politely. But the doctor raised his voice, refused to comply, and became “disruptive and belligerent,” Munoz explained.

“Our agents were left with no choice, but to call Chicago Aviation Security Officers to assist in removing the customer from the flight, he repeatedly decline to leave.”

After he was removed from the flight, Dao ran back into the aircraft and “tried to strike law enforcement,” according to Munoz.

[Featured Image by Jorg Hackemann/Shutterstock]