A La Mesa man who impersonated being a doctor and claimed he had a cure for AIDS and cancer faced some of his victims in court June 11 and a judge ordered him to stand trial for repeatedly practicing medicine without a license and identity theft.
One victim, Keith Allen Barton, 51, could not face was a 9-year-old girl who died from AIDS in 2010. Her tearful mother testified she paid $18,000 to Barton to treat her two children, as another child had also been born with AIDS.
Another victim included a woman with cancer who paid Barton $16,347 for an unusual treatment he called “dendritic cell treatment.” She had all of her teeth removed in a Tijuana clinic by a dentist there. Her husband said they also bought herbs and minerals from him and they both crossed the Mexican border together with Barton for the treatment.
Barton is accused of identity theft of a retired physician who also has his same name and practiced in Berkeley. He used that doctor’s medical license number and claimed to be that doctor who was using natural or alternative treatments.
At the end of the preliminary hearing, Barton’s lawyer, David Shapiro, unsuccessfully asked San Diego Superior Court Judge Ken So to reduce the nine charges to misdemeanors.
“This conduct is not misdemeanor,” said So.
Barton’s next court appearance is set for July 2 when a trial date will be set. He has pleaded not guilty and remains free on $100,000 bond. If convicted, Barton could face eight years in state prison, said Deputy District Attorney Gina Darvas.
One of the odd things about the case is that Barton had no medical office and used clinics in Tijuana. He advertised on the Internet and agreed to make house calls.
Barton was also ordered to stand trial for grand theft and attempted grand theft. The latter charge involved a sting operation in which an undercover investigator from the Medical Board of California contacted Barton in December 2012, and claimed to have cancer.
Barton said the three month “dendritic cell treatment” costs $8,760 and was not covered by insurance. Barton told her the treatment works to cure cancer. He said the treatment involves blood being drawn and having it go through a chemical process before it is injected back into the body.
The investigator testified she wanted to meet with Barton, but he told her it wasn’t necessary if she sent him her full medical and dental records plus cash or a cashier’s check. Barton reluctantly agreed to meet with the investigator at a Coco’s restaurant in San Ysidro, where he was arrested Jan. 8.
Douglas Light testified his wife underwent the “dendritic cell treatment,” and purchased it a second time for $15,760 to cure her cancer. She was in a lot of pain and used a wheelchair. Light said Barton administered several injections to his wife.
“He said she should be up and walking in no time. There was virtually no change,” said Light.
A man with cancer was looking for alternative treatments and began consulting with Barton in 2008. The man had his blood drawn and sent to Barton, who claimed he put it through some type of process and sent it back to the man who injected it back into his body.
The man also paid Barton $18,000 before he died in October 2008. His daughter talked to the California Medical Board about her father’s unconventional treatments.
