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This is the first in a three-part series

  • FOR SOME MEDICAL DEGREES, IT'S LOG ON, PAY UP

    DOCTORED DIPLOMAS

    A TRAIL OF BOGUS CLAIMS AND LIFE-THREATENING CONSEQUENCES

    By Valarie Honeycutt Spears

    When prosecutors here talked about the cruelty of John E. Curran, it was the face of Taylor Alves they saw. The young woman, who, at 18, was a filmmaker, photographer and model, was described by her mother as "born with wings." She was also dying of ovarian cancer.

  • With medical credentials, it's patient beware

    IN KENTUCKY, NO AGENCY OVERSEES ONLINE SCHOOLS' AUTHENTICITY AND GRADUATES

    By Valarie Honeycutt Spears

    No one knows how many "doctors" are practicing with a degree from one of the online medical schools that Stephen J. Arnett of Falcon, Ky., has operated or promoted over the years.

Credentials Arnett has claimed

Stephen J. Arnett of Magoffin County has presented himself as a man of many degrees and titles. This is a description posted on the St. Luke School of Medicine Web site around 2002-2003:
THE SECOND IN A THREE-PART SERIES

DEGREES OF HARM
This is the second in a three-part series

Making a practice of posing

ST. LUKE MEDICAL STUDENTS FIND JOBS IN THE FIELD

By Valarie Honeycutt Spears

Andrew Michael was an imposter on a grand scale for years in Las Vegas — posing as a lawyer, a commercial jet pilot and a nursing student. In 2003, he was in Lexington, pursuing a new profession as a medical student at St. Luke School of Medicine, an online medical and naturopathy school with operations in Liberia, but no U.S. accreditation.
THE FINAL STORY IN A THREE-PART SERIES

DEGREES OF HARM
This is the final story in a three-part series

Guilty of peddling fear, hope

BACKED BY PHONY DEGREES, CURRAN CLAIMED HE COULD CURE THE DYING

By Valarie Honeycutt Spears

In 2004, 23-year-old Amanda Doumato went to the office of John Curran, where framed medical and naturopathy degrees hung on the wall, hoping he could suggest a diet that would help her with digestive problems.
VIRTUAL GRADUATES, REAL CONVICTIONS
Three men who have treated hundreds of patients around the country received their credentials from St. Luke School of Medicine, an online school with no accreditation. Prosecutors said the three did not receive a legitimate medical education and were practicing medicine without a license.
The tiny community of Falcon (top), in Eastern Kentucky, is where Stephen J. Arnett, one of the top officials of St. Luke, lived and worked. John E. Curran, left, Andrew E. Michael, center, and Larry Lammers.
• John E. Curran treated some patients with a green drink of powdered vegetables and water after he got a degree from St. Luke and its naturopathy division. In August, he began serving a 12 1/2-year prison sentence after being convicted of wire fraud and money laundering in connection with his treatment of patients in a natural healing practice. On Oct. 12, a federal judge will decide whether he should also pay restitution.
• Andrew E. Michael was a St. Luke student when he briefly observed physicians at Central Baptist Hospital in Lexington. In 2005, he was sentenced to six months in jail and four years of probation in Nevada after pleading guilty to practicing medicine without a license. Currently, he is back in jail on federal credit-card charges.
• Larry Lammers, a former chiropractor who identified himself as a medical student from St. Luke, worked at Accident Injury centers in Kentucky. Last year, he was sentenced to 120 days in the Fayette County jail for practicing medicine without a license. A MySpace profile says he is living in Ida, Mich., and is a retired physician, a casting agent and a missionary.
Behind this series
Valarie Honeycutt Spears has been a Herald-Leader reporter for 25 years. She has covered a wide variety of subjects involving public policy and the justice system.
Also contributing to this series was news researcher Linda Niemi. It was edited by Sharon Walsh.
The project was designed by May May Barton and copy edited by Vicky Broadus.
Reach Valarie Honeycutt Spears at (859) 231-3409 or vhoneycutt@herald-leader.com.
FOLLOW UP STORIES TO THE SERIES

  • Arnett facing another investigation

    KY. GAVE HIM SURGICAL ASSISTANT LICENSE

    By Valarie Honeycutt Spears

    Stephen J. Arnett, currently under investigation for promoting online and foreign medical schools from Magoffin County, was recently given a license to practice as a surgical assistant in Kentucky.

  • Med schools scrutinized

    STEPHEN ARNETT LINKED TO ONLINE, FOREIGN PROGRAMS

    By Valarie Honeycutt Spears and Lee Mueller

    The Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure has opened an investigation into whether a Magoffin County man who promoted online and foreign medical schools has broken any state laws, C. Lloyd Vest, an attorney for the board, said yesterday.
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