A husband and wife team have been extradited from Israel to face a 20-year prison term for an insurance fraud scheme.
Dr. David M. Morrow, 75, who before fleeing to Israel lived in Rancho Mirage and worked as a dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon. Federal officials said that while working as a dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon he scammed insurance companies of tens of millions of dollars claiming that cosmetic procedures were medically necessary.
The surgeries billed to insurance included tummy tucks, nose jobs, and breast augmentations, some of which the patients did not even want and were paid to receive. Other patients were promised if they received the procedures that they did not want, he would provide the procedures that they wanted. Some of the patients who were not given informed consent have ongoing medical problems; some with disfigurement as a result of the procedures Dr. Morrow performed.
Dr. Morrow was extradited from Israel to serve a 20-year federal prison sentence issued while he was a fugitive. Dr. Morrow returned to the Los Angeles International Airport on Thursday, January 23, 2020. He appeared in court on Friday morning and was ordered by a Federal Court judge to begin serving his sentence.
It is believed that the couple fled to Israel in May 2017 and failed to report to court officials the sale of their $9.45 million Beverly Hills home. When fleeing, according to court records the couple transferred more than $4 million to an Israeli bank using third-party names. The couple also used fraudulent Mexican passports, using their own photos but other names. These passports were used to enter Israel, where they applied for citizenship using the fraudulent identities.
In September 2017, while Dr. Morrow was in Israel, he was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison. Federal officials said that Morrow pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and filing a false tax return. By last year when they were arrested in Israel they were living under names from their fraudulent Guatemalan passports. They were also using an Israeli attorney attempting to launder over $2 million.
He left the U.S. with Linda Morrow, his 67-year-old wife, who was the executive director of The Morrow Institute (TMI) in Rancho Mirage. Linda Morrow was deported by Israel in July 2019 and is facing a 31-count indictment for participating in the $50 million scheme run through TMI. In addition, she faces contempt of court for fleeing the U.S. while out on bond.
