San Francisco DA Accuses Doctor of Fraud

Prosecutors today charged a 66-year-old San Francisco man with 51  felony counts for allegedly practicing medicine without a license and  defrauding dozens of patients out of about $75,000.
     
Timothy Syed Andersson, also known as "Dr. Syed," was arrested  Tuesday, according to the district attorney's office.
     
District Attorney Kamala Harris said today that Andersson  represented himself as a dermatologist and maintained a practice out of his  home office in the Sunset District, where he allegedly treated patients for a  variety of skin conditions with injections of unknown substances.
     
Harris said Andersson, who immigrated to the United States from  Sweden but was originally from Pakistan, is not licensed to practice medicine  in California or anywhere in the country. She accused him of "preying" on the  city's South Asian immigrant community.
     
Harris' office has had contact with 38 alleged victims, including  eight children, who were charged between $1,000 and $5,000 for treatment by  Andersson, she said.
     
"By masquerading as a doctor and treating patients, the defendant  betrayed those persons who trusted him to take care of them in their time of  need," Harris said.
     
Andersson appeared in San Francisco Superior Court this morning  but delayed entering a plea to 27 counts of practicing medicine without a  license, 23 counts of grand theft and one count of perjury. Bail was set at  $1 million and he remains in custody.
     
Andersson allegedly said he worked at the University of California  at San Francisco and at Stanford University, and claimed he had authored  several medical papers, according to Harris.
     
Harris also claimed that Andersson doctored photographs of  celebrities such as Julia Roberts and Elizabeth Hurley to include himself in  the pictures.
     
Andersson also used the name Tanweer Ahmad Syed and, as "Dr.  Syed," advertised his services on Indian radio stations and the Internet,  according to the district attorney's office.
     
"We will be looking for and we will track down people who prey on  anyone in our community," Harris said. She advised patients to check their  doctor's credentials by visiting the Web site of the Medical Board of  California at www.mbc.ca.gov or by calling (916) 263-2382.
     
Among the alleged practices Andersson is accused of are using a  syringe to draw blood from a female patient's legs to treat varicose veins;  diagnosing several patients, including a 13-year-old child, with cancer; and  repeatedly injecting patients with unknown substances.
     
Harris said none of the patients was seriously injured, but some  required corrective surgery.
     
Andersson's trademark product, Syed Hypo-Allergenic Facial Cream,  advertised on his Web site for $125 a jar, advertises ingredients such as  green tea and seaweed extracts to combat the effects of aging.
     
Harris today called the product "a bunch of BS."
     
Andersson's attorney was in trial and not immediately available  for comment today, according to his office.

Bay City News

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