Transcripts For MSNBCW Dateline 20190727

500,000 worth of diamonds before he left. Where did the diamonds go . With him i suppose. And who was this wealthy man of mystery, now living in the italian alps . I dont think they have any idea whats going to happen. It had all the makings of a perfect fantasy, the perfect husband away with his perfect wife for her 30th birthday in the pictureperfect greek islands. The weather was perfect, the accommodations aboard their private fullystaffed 80foot yacht perfect. It was late september 2004, and with her mother and a few close girlfriends along to help the couple celebrate, Michelle Weinberger had every reason to believe she was living a perfectly charmed life with the man of her dreams. Then, as if suddenly doused with cold water, her dream ended. When i woke up in the morning at 7 00 a. M. With a horrible feeling in my stomach, he wasnt there next to me. And i put my hand on his side of the bed and i remember feeling it empty. Michelle says she darted from the bed and ran around the boat calling for her husband mark. No answer. The captain told me that he went jogging. So i started jogging all up and down the beach looking for him. And i just had this horrible feeling, which continued for the rest of that day. There was plenty of time to think in those anxious hours. Was he dead . Injured . Kidnapped . Was their gilded lifestyle about to end in tragedy . I really believe that he was my soul mate and he believed that, too. And he was just the kindest, most gentle man i had ever met. Really a prince charming. Absolutely. The night before he vanished, mark had seemed so happy, posing for a dinner time picture with michelle and a friend. Now he was gone. By midafternoon michelle was a frantic ball of nerves, clearly mark was not out jogging, as the yachts captain had told her earlier that morning. So she demanded answers. The captain finally said, well, im just going to tell you where he is now because youre on the brink of having a nervous breakdown. Soy want you to know that he bought some kind of a present in town and he took a jet to paris to finish the present and hes going to come back by the end of the day, before the sun goes down. That story didnt surprise michelle. For the past few days, mark had been acting like a man who was planning something big. He was always running and doing something and i was kind of, like, this is our vacation. This is our time to spend together. I would rather not have some big fabulous present and just have you lay with me by the pool and not be sneaking around. And what did he say . He said, you never want to trust me about surprises. You really need to trust me. This is going to be huge. If michelle knew anything about her husband, it was that he was a born romantic who went all out for special occasions. It had only been five years since fate had brought Mark Weinberger into her life. Changing it in ways unimaginable at the time. It all began with a ladies night out at a chicago bar. I saw him at a bar. He was out with his friend who had recently gotten divorced. And we just started talking and we hit it off. I thought he was really intriguing. She was Michelle Kramer back then, a 25yearold College Student from a blue collar family still living with her folks. Mark weinberger, 11 years older, was already a very successful ear nose and throat doctor. We were bonding about medicine because i had just gotten through doing a stint in neuroscience at the university of chicago. We were just making jokes about the medical milieu. He was very funny. So you hit it off right off the bat . We went out to dinner. It was thursday. I spent all weekend with him and by monday i was enamored and smitten. Within months michelle had moved out of her parents home and into marks townhouse in chicago. The whirlwind was on, athens, miami, caribbean sunsets and french champagne. Michelle, you look beautiful. For a southwest chicago girl whose father was a pipe fitter, this was headturning stuff. Just want to say this is the best vacation ever. I love you, baby. Her new love was a philosophy quoting poetry writing renaissance man. He professed his love in a poem. He just swept me off my feet. You had an unbelievable life. It really was, yeah. Like it was just so romantic when i first met him, it was awesome. And then things just got, like, exponentially more outrageous as time went on. Outrageously good. Yeah. For instance, instead of simply popping the question to michelle, mark flew her to rome. He had a driver bring her to meet him. Mark dropped to one knee and presented her with an enormous ring while a group of minstrels he had hired serenaded them. I was crying and everybody in the piazza was clapping. It was a beautiful moment. Their wedding in 2001 was actually a threeact extravaganza. First a small wedding in chicagos Botanic Garden held solely for the purpose of allowing michelles father, who was dying of cancer, to walk her down the aisle. Next, there was a lavish blessing ceremony in a 12th century villa on italys coast. Mark flew in a dozen gifts from the states. Then mark topped it all off by renting chicagos field museum and inviting 110 guests for another formal reception there. Those were the memories that kept running through michelles mind as she and her mother waited for mark to return. But when the sun set that night and mark had not returned, as the captain had promised, michelle knew something was horribly wrong. But what . There were no reports of an accident involving mark, no signs of foul play, no ransom notes. Only questions. Was there a note of any kind . Nothing. No message, nothing. I went through the boat like a crazy person just tearing everything up looking for something. And the only two things i found was 1,000 euros and my passport in a drawer. After 24 hours of watching a hysterical michelle suffer, the yachts captain gave her the number for a greek cell phone that mark had been secretly using ever since they had been on the yacht. Michelle had no idea what would happen when she dialed that number, but she was desperate to hear her husbands voice. He answered rather happily, like 5 00 a. M. , he said, hello . I was in shock. I said, hello . Then he fumbled with the phone and he hung up. Did he know it was you on the phone . Oh, yeah. How did that feel . I was devastated. I felt like somebody punched me in the stomach. I couldnt understand why he would do that. As it turned out, michelles husband had, as promised, given her a huge surprise, all right. He deserted her. For reasons she did not yet understand, michelle would have to return home alone. She knew her life as she had been living it was over. What she didnt know was that the devastation her husband had left behind went deeper than her own personal agony. And that the twisted tale of the runaway doctor would eventually lead to one of the unlikeliest places on earth. Where was the doctor, and why had he abandons his incredibly profitable medical practice . In a good week, how much money did he take in . He was bringing in about 1 million a month. Protect your pet with the 1 name in flea and tick protection. Frontline plus. Trusted by vets for nearly 20 years. And here we have another burst pipe in denmark. If you look close. Jamie, are there any interesting photos from your trip . Ouch, okay. Huh, boring, boring, you dont need to see that. Oh, here we go. Can you believe my client steig had never heard of a home and auto bundle or that renters could bundle . Wait, youre a lawyer . Only licensed in stockholm. What is happening . Jamie anyway, game show, kumite, cinderella story. You know karate . No, alan, i practice muay thai, completely different skillset. Dishes wont get clean . Dont be a soaker switch to finish quantum, it scrubs, degreases, and shines to get your dishes truly finished. And with finish quantum you get up to 25 more loads for your money. Its not clean until its finished we switched our detergent to one thats clean. And if you make the switch youll see what we mean. Tide purclean, because its made with plants. Tide purclean, gets stains out his pants. Tide purclean, it has nothing to hide. Its made with plants and has the cleaning strength of tide. The first plantbased detergent with the cleaning power of tide. Cis choosing to nurtureild and emotionally support children in urgent need. Its not just about opening up your home; it is also about opening up your heart. Consider fostering. The picturesque greek isles where dr. Mark weinberger deserted his wife in september 2004 are half a world away from the rust belt region of indiana where he made his fortune. Mark weinberger was not from indiana. He didnt grow up on hoop dreams or the hope of a union job. In fact, he didnt even live here. According to Pulitzer Prize winning writer buzz who wrote this article for vanity fair and consulted with us on this story, Mark Weinberger was a nerdy kid from a wealthy new york suburb who was driven by sibling rivalry to outshine his brothers. Mark figured, the way to be the apple of my parents eye is to do well in school. He went to the university of pennsylvania, then went to Ucla Medical School where he thrived. He could have established his ear nose and throat medical practice anywhere, but in 1996 he chose merrillville, indiana. It was close enough to chicago that he could live there and have chauffeurs drive him to his office every day. But most important, he could count on the air pollution in northwest indiana to provide a steady stream of patients with sinus problems. In northwest indiana where youre breathing in the pollution, youve got high pollen and extreme changes in temperature, its not unusual to see a high degree of patients who suffer from sinus problems. Suzette dennington, weinbergers top medical assistant worked closely with him day in and day out. He was an excellent physician. What do you think motivated him . His desire to be the best at what he did. In 2000, weinberger began aggressively advertising himself as a sinus specialist. He billed himself as dr. Nose and his practice grew rapidly. We could see 40 to 50 patients on an office day. Out of those, 10 to 16 would be new patients. How many surgeries was he performing . On an average, within 15 to 22 a week. 15 to 22 surgeries, one man, every week. Yes. And youve worked in this business a long time. I mean, how busy is that compared to your average surgeon . Huge. Dennington said patients who walked into the clinic with anything from breathing problems to bad headaches were told that his sinus surgeries were an alternative to taking medications every day and had a 95 success rate. His technique was incredible. Ive done sinus surgeries for 18 years. Never saw the technique that he used, and it was the benefit to the patients was amazing. Weinbergers Business Model it seemed was based on the threeword slogan of salesmen everywhere volume, volume, volume. I think he measured a certain amount of his worth by how many procedures he was doing. Of course, the fact that nearly all of weinbergers patients seemed to have the same problem and required the exact same surgery greatly simplified things. Deviated septum and polyps. Deviated septum and polyps. Deviated septum and polyps. What did the doctor recommend . Surgery immediately. Surgery. Surgery asap. As consistent as these former patients say weinberger was with his diagnoses, suzette denning ton said he was quite flexible when billing Insurance Companies. It all depended on the amount the Insurance Company was willing to pay. It could be anywhere from 1500 to 16,000 per procedure. As much as 16,000 per procedure, 15 to 20 procedures a week. Correct. In a good week, how much money do you think he took in . I do know that at one point for the entire business he was bringing in about 1 million a month. Even a man with expensive taste, such as Mark Weinberger, could live large on a cash flow like that. And according to writer Buzz Bissinger, he did. At home, there were uniformed maids, a personal trainer and masseuse. He would go on these spending sprees. He lived in a 2. 5 million condominium. He had three drivers on call by limo. Who could have known in those first blissful days, as the music played and champagne flowed, how it would all end. Certainly not Mark Weinbergers new bride michelle. A northwest indiana doctor is apparently on the run tonight and hes left behind serious legal trouble. In the weeks and months after her husband left her in greece, michelle was bound and determined to find out why her husband had abandoned her. Coming up lying low, living large. I think he bought about maybe 500,000 worth of diamonds before he left. 500,000. Uhhuh. And where did the diamonds go . With him, i suppose. I didnt find out anything about diamonds until after he had left. C. It can cause damage to the enamel. With the new pronamel repair toothpaste we can help actively repair enamel in its weakened state. Its innovative. With pronamel repair, more minerals are able to enter deep into the enamel surface. The fact that you have an opportunity to repair whats already been damaged, its amazing. I think my goto toothpaste is going to be pronamel repair. Termites, were on the move. 24 7. Roger. Hey rick, all good . Oh yeah, were good. Were good. Termites never stop trying to get in, we never stop working to keep them out. Terminix. Defenders of home. In the weeks after her husband had abandoned her in greece, michelle examined every memory she had of Mark Weinberger. Shes the hostess and shes the mostest. Turning each unreliable fragment in her mind as if seeing scenes from her life for the first time. I have marky all to myself. None of it made sense to michelle. Hadnt they had it all . Money, youth, happiness. What on earth caused him to chuck it all without as much as a note of explanation. November 1st was our threeyear anniversary and a bit of a turning point for me. But prior to that i still believed wholeheartedly that he was going to send for me. And if he sent for me, i would have went with him. Really . I would have, yes. And that day came and went with no phone call, no letter, nothing. And that made me realize that i needed to take care of myself and try to get back on my own two feet. Mark was still alive. She knew that because, even though she hadnt heard from him since that brief phone call in greece, credit card statements were still coming in to their home in chicago. Hes going to the biggest fashion houses across france and buying clothing and hes at casinos. And youre back and you cant even pay the water bill. Right. And im sitting there crying every night listening to our songs, you know, mourning his loss and hes in the south of france. His credit card tally in the south of france alone added up to more than 50,000. Since theres no law against disappearing, michelle couldnt really go to the authorities. It seemed the only people even interested in finding Mark Weinberger were his creditors. But michelle wouldnt give up. On more than one occasion, michelle flew to europe in hopes of tracking down and confronting her husband. Just me and a pair of handcuffs. I brought handcuffs because i figured if he saw me he might, like, be freaked out. I just wanted an explanation. She even came close once, arriving at a paris hotel just a day after weinberger had checked out. But back home she still faced a growing pile of unpaid bills. Mark had never allowed her to see the bills before or even have her own checking account. Its almost laughable in a way when i get faxes from banks saying i owe 3. 5 million because i dont even have a concept in my head of what 3 million is. Eventually, michelle learned that Mark Weinberger had left her 6 million in debt. We first met michelle in february 2005. Five months after her husband had vanished. At that time, michelles home was in foreclosure and she had realized she had no choice but to file for divorce. I dont know how ready to say i am filing for divorce, but financially its a necessity right now so its something that has to be done in order to try to separate myself from the debt that hes accrued. In october 2005, a little over a year after her husband literally jumped ship, michelle filed for bankruptcy. The person that i fell in love with, the person that i knew for five years, that person certainly was a soul mate and a best friend to me. This person who would leave behind such devastation in his wake, i dont know who he is. With the benefit of 20 20 hindsight, michelle told us she should have seen the signs of trouble coming. Mark was sometimes distant. He could be rude, even abusive to people he deemed his social inferiors. But the summer of 2004, a few months before mark disappeared, seemed to be the real turning point. Michelle was pregnant. Both of us could not have been happier at that moment. Those good feelings lasted for a couple weeks. And then i had to go to hawaii for an apa conference that i was presenting at. Presenting at the American Psychological association that july was a prestigious honor for a grad student like michelle. Even though mark begged her not to go, she went anyway. And things started to change while i was in hawaii. He called me and said lawyers were claiming that he was doing unnecessary surgery and he was afraid it was going to become a class action suit, at which point he jumps ten steps ahead and assumes that his Insurance Company would settle, his license would be taken away, and everything would be destroyed. So his life is flashing before his eyes. Uhhuh. One of those former patients now had terminal cancer, and she was suing him for not diagnosing it sooner. Michelle says that for mark the malpractice suit was more than just a blemish on his reputation. It was a blow to his vanity. And though michelle assured him of her love and support, she said she could feel her husband pulling away. I knew he was stressed out about the lawsuits, but i really believed in my heart it was something we could fight against. A few weeks later, it was michelle who was devastated and needed support when she suffered a miscarriage and had to be hospitalized. And he promised, he swore that he would be there before i went under anesthesia. And he insisted that he had to go into his office to take care of some things, and he didnt show up. And i was shocked. Whatever Mark Weinberger was doing in the office those days was also a mystery to employees like suzette dennington, weinbergers top medical assistant at the sinus clinic. He started to be one of the first people in the office and last people to leave every day. What was he doing in his office . I dont know. The door was closed. It was very quiet. We would have to knock on the door and let him know that there was another patient ready to be seen. He definitely withdrew. Suzette says that wasnt the only strange thing going on that summer. Suddenly, shipments of camping gear began arriving at the weinberger clinic. One of his treatment rooms in one wing of the building was full of camping equipment. I really didnt see him as being much of a camper. Hes more Four Seasons Hotel type. Right. But he was almost frantically packing it up. What kinds of equipment did he have . There were several backpacks. There were just bags that were stuffed with things that you couldnt see. And then there were the strange men with thick european accents that some employees reported seeing coming into the offices with briefcases to meet privately with weinberger. Michelle later learned those men were diamond dealers from new york. I think he bought about maybe 500,000 worth of diamonds before he left. 500,000. Uhhuh. And where did the diamonds go . With him, i suppose. I didnt find out anything about diamonds until after he had left. Diamonds, light, untraceable. Just the kind of tip thats found in a book michelle discovered among marks things after he left. Michelle came to see that her husband had been planning his vanishing act for months. He had apparently packed two huge suitcases full of Water Filtration systems, gps equipment, language tapes. All types of bizarre things, and he shipped one of the bags to kahn and another bag to athens. A meticulous plan, perfectly executed, though even in hindsight michelle now remembered how nervous he had been on the day they flew to greece. He was yelling at everybody and hes, like, i have to make this flight. Im like, were not going to miss the flight. Were not late. He was just completely uncontrollable in the airport. Oddly enough, even knowing her husband had deliberately deceived, humiliated and abandoned her, michelle continued to defend him. He was an excellent doctor. Thats why it really infuriated me to see his name dragged through the mud. The real culprits, michelle felt, were former patients egged on by greedy lawyers who were suing him for malpractice. I think its a big opportunistic, but thats the state of our legal system in this country. Thats what doctors have to face every day. How can you stand up for him now . Because i know how much he cared about his patients. In the end, i think that he was a very scared man. Had it actually been one of those patients who caused Mark Weinberger to flee, forfeiting all he worked for . Michelle was sure of it. She had often heard mark mention a former patient in the weeks and months before he left. A woman with terminal cancer. She had a cough that wouldnt go away, sore throat, hoarseness. These are things that a first Year Medical Student would recognize as signs and symptoms of throat cancer or laryngeal cancer. Weinberger didnt pay attention. Great news the no added hormones in land o frost premium sliced meats have moms buying in. In bulk. Boom what a beefsteak. Gotta love it. Land o frost premium. A slice above. There are three words when you live with migraine. I am here. Aim to say that more with aimovig. A preventive treatment for migraine in adults that reduces the number of monthly migraine days. For some, that number can be cut in half or more. Dont take aimovig if youre allergic to it. Allergic reactions like rash or swelling can happen hours to days after use. Common side effects include injection site reactions and constipation. Aim to be there more. Talk to your doctor about aimovig. That i won the best of i casweepstakes it. And i get to be in this geico commercial . Lets do the eyebrows first, just tease it a little. Slather it all over, dont hold back. Well, the squirrels followed me all the way out to california and theres a very strange badger staring at me. No, i cant believe how easy it was to save hundreds of dollars on my Car Insurance with geico. Uhhuh, wheres the camel . Mr. Big shots got his own trailer. Wheeeeeee believe it geico could save you 15 or more on Car Insurance. Are confusing quilted northern for robes. Theyre both cushiony, comforting, and add elegance to your home. But quilted northern is not a robe. Its just really nice toilet paper. The winter over northwest indiana where dr. Weinberger practiced medicine usually had all the luster of but for weinberger and his wife michelle late december 2001 was just another caribbean holiday. Its a Beautiful Day here. Its perhaps good that the happy couple couldnt see the future on a day such as this because there was so much unhappiness ahead. In three years, he would be on the run, somewhere in europe, and she would be alone, brokenhearted and bankrupt. Of course, they had no way of seeing any of this coming. Not here. Not on this night. New years eve 2002. Ive never been so happy in my whole life. This is my dream. But far to the north in indiana, one of dr. Weinbergers patients, Phyllis Barnes could clearly see her future was looking grim. My sister went through hell. Phyllis sister peggy hood says phyllis road through hell began three months earlier when she went to see dr. Weinberger. She had trouble catching her breath. She seemed to have sort of coldlike systems or bronchitis. She just seemed rundown. You thought it might be allergies or a cold. Yeah. It could have been a number of things. Her voice was raspy. She had a sore throat. But perhaps the most troubling symptom for phyllis, a lifelong smoker, was that she had recently begun coughing up blood. I believe when she went to dr. Weinberger she told him she was a smoker. I dont think she tried to hide that from anybody. How did she find out about Mark Weinberger . I believe one of her coworkers may have seen billboards. The nose dr. Uhhuh. In hindsight, going to the selfproclaimed nose doctor may have been a mistake. But since phyllis had a long history of sinus problems, seeking out a sinus specialist for her breathing problem seemed logical. The first time i heard about him was when she called me. She was going to have sinus surgery and she needed a ride to and from the surgery. Dr. Weinbergers diagnosis . Sinusitis, nasal polyps, deviated septum, all problems he told phyllis that could be cure with surgery. Did your sister get better after the surgery . No. She got progressively worse after the surgery. By thanksgiving, just six weeks after her surgery with weinberger, Phyllis Barnes was gasping for breath. Repeated followup visits to the clinic brought no relief. Her family feared she might have pneumonia. I had to call the ambulance one night to have her taken to the emergency room because she couldnt breathe. Shawn barnes, phyllis daughter, was only 16 at the time. She did end up pulling through, but it was a hard time to get through. Within days of leaving the emergency room, phyllis was again gasping for breath. So in december 2001 she turned to another ear nose and throat doctor for relief. The new doctor immediately suspected something serious. Her breathing was ragged and a large lump was visible on the side of her neck. He called me on my cell phone and he said he had just seen my sister and he felt that she had possibly advanced cancer, and he had scheduled her for a biopsy. That biopsy quickly confirmed the doctors hunch. At 47, Phyllis Barnes had stage four throat cancer. I hope you find something worthwhile to do today. A lifelong doityourselfer, Phyllis Barnes was now facing the biggest recovery and rehab project of her life. Daniel, do not say theyre doing there to me. Phyllis first came to northwest indiana from her native mississippi in the late 70s after college. Im busy. But i love you, phyllis oh, good. Her sister peggy was already here and it was here that she met her husband, daniel barnes, started a family, and began a career in social work, helping displaced steelworkers. It was a Government Agency that tried to help place people who had lost their jobs in this area. And she really liked that. A big part of that job involved public speaking. But by the time Mark Weinberger was popping champagne corks in the caribbean that new years eve, that part of phyllis career was over. Surgeons had taken drastic action to fight the advanced cancer in her throat. She ended up losing her voice box. And it was a very disfiguring surgery. But i think she felt like, you know, after all she had gone through that she was going to be okay. And so Phyllis Barnes soldiered on. There was the usual litany of chemo and radiation treatments, but phyllis also underwent additional throat surgeries and volunteered for experimental treatments. She suffered in silence. I think she kept a lot of what she was going through to herself. Family members admit phyllis cigarette use was probably a factor, but those who watched phyllis withering away wondered if dr. Weinberger might have missed a chance to catch phyllis cancer early, which cost her valuable time. Regardless of why she got cancer, or how she got cancer or where she got cancer, she should have been able to go to a doctor and expect a certain quality of treatment that she didnt get. In late 2002, perhaps sensing time was not on her side, Phyllis Barnes hired personal injury lawyer ken allen to sue dr. Weinberger for negligence and malpractice. Phyllis had the classic signs and symptoms of throat cancer. She was a smoker for many years. She had a cough that wouldnt go away, sore throat, hoarseness. These are things that a first Year Medical Student would recognize as signs and symptoms of throat cancer or laryngeal cancer. Weinberger didnt pay attention. Im the youngest, phyllis and theres my daughter shawn and my husband couldnt come down. The soft, southern voice that had once been phyllis calling card was gone. My coworkers are so used to me talking like this that people are always going to give me a look like, whats basically wrong with you . In a video deposition given shortly after the lawsuit was filed, phyllis spoke in a flat, robotic voice about her cancer and her struggle to live a normal life. Some days i have to suction out my lungs if theyre congested. The stakes could not have been higher. Shawn, phyllis only child, had recently lost her father to cancer. Now she seemed destined to become an orphan, phyllis told her lawyer her daughters welfare was her concern. I am my daughters only surviving parent. I want to make sure she goes to school. On september 16, 2004, almost exactly one year after that deposition was recorded, Phyllis Barnes died, surrounded by her family. As it happened, that was just two days before dr. Weinberger and his wife left the United States for the greek islands, the great escape he had been planning for three months was about to begin. And right on his heels, a family and a lawyer seeking justice. He knew, having killed someone, that it was not something he could easily sweep under the rug. It really is evil, and he needs he deserves to be punished. ss proven better on pain than tylenol extra strength. And last longer with fewer pills. So why am i still thinking about this . Ill take aleve. Aleve. Proven better on pain. Love them, hate their laundry, protection. Lysol laundry sanitizer kills 99. 9 of bacteria. Detergent alone cant. Lysol. What it takes to protect. ® announcer Important Message for women and men ages 50 to 85. Right now, in areas like yours, people have already called about Life Insurance through the Colonial Penn program and received their free beneficiary planner. Have you received your free planner . If not, i encourage you to pick up the phone and take advantage of this free offer. In addition to your free beneficiary planner, youll also receive free information on affordable whole Life Insurance that has a lifetime rate lock that guarantees your rate can never increase for any reason. If you did not receive your free beneficiary planner, call this number now. Please stand by to learn more. Im alex trebek, here to tell you about a popular Life Insurance plan with a rate lock that locks in your rate for life so it can never increase. Did you get your free information kit . If not, please call this number now. This affordable plan through the Colonial Penn program has Coverage Options for just 9. 95 a month. Your rate is locked in and can never go up, and your acceptance is guaranteed with no health questions. See how much coverage you can get for just 9. 95 a month. Call now for your free information kit. Dr. Mark weinberger was never shy about telling the people of northwest indiana who he was and what he was about. And neither is ken allen, a man who was weinbergers chief nemesis before he vanished and later became one of his most persistent pursuers. He knew he was mutilating patients to bill the Insurance Companies for surgeries that werent necessary. It really is evil, and he needs he deserves to be punished. Ken allen, youll remember, is the lawyer Phyllis Barnes hired to sue weinberger. In court documents, allen alleges that weinberger misdiagnosed phyllis trouble breathing and gave her a surgery she didnt need while missing the advanced throat cancer that eventually killed her. He needs to understand it wasnt just the Insurance Companies that were harmed. It was people. Lives were destroyed. People were hurt. Phyllis barnes, it turns out, was just the tip of the iceberg. Once Mark Weinberger fled, malpractice complaints began flooding in to lawyers like ken allen. Among those new clients were kayla thomas and her mother valerie. In 2003, 8yearold kayla began having headaches so severe they caused vomiting and extreme sensitivity to light. Valerie said she decided to take kayla to dr. Weinberger after seeing a billboard about sinus surgery to cure headaches. I took her to his office. They did a cat scan and they said she had a deviated septum and polyps and he could make her headachefree if she immediately had surgery. How soon did it happen . Within two weeks. How is she . The headaches didnt stop. The light sensitivity got worse. It wasnt until she took kayla to specialists that she finally discovered the cause of kaylas misery. They did a cat scan as well of her head, and they told us that evening that there was a tumor there. And what was that night like . That was the worst night of my life. Though the tumor turned out to be noncancerous, it was growing. Surgeons told the thomases kayla would need immediate brain surgery to reduce the pressure in her head. And kayla, do you understand what the doctor said . I didnt understand most of it, but some of it like i would have to have surgery and then how i would have to be taken care of afterward i understood. But there was a problem. Valerie says the university of chicago doctors told her scar tissue from the weinberger sinus surgery prevented them from removing more than 5 to 10 of the tumor. Her neurosurgeon, neurologist and endocrinologist and all said, why . They said, a 9yearold doesnt have polyps that need to be removed. In time, more than 350 of weinbergers former patients would join in lawsuits against him while he was lounging in the cafes and casinos of europe. Almost all of them accused him of the same things, misdiagnosing real problems and performing unnecessary surgeries. Mark weinberger ran a surgery mill. He saw up to 100 patients or more a day. He did 100 or 150 surgeries a month. And he made a lot of money. How do you see 100 patients in a day . You give every patient the same diagnosis and you give every patient the same prescription surgery. 18 months after he had vanished, a federal grand jury indicted weinberger in absentia on 22 counts of health care fraud. By now, the state of indiana had revoked his license. The fbi had issued a warrant for his arrest. Weinbergers exwife michelle said it was clear to her little effort was being made to actually find him. The fbi has a huge list of people theyre looking for. Theres terrorists on the list. Here is a white collar criminal who just is hiding out in europe, and they made it clear to me that he wasnt their number one priority. Their bearnaise sauce here is the best in town. [ soft piano music playing ] mm, uh, what do you do for fun . Not this. Oh, what am i into . Mostly progressives name your price tool. Helps people find Coverage Options based on their budget. Flo has it, i want it, its a whole thing, and shes right there. Yeah, shes my ride. This dates lame. He has pics of you on his phone. Theyre very tasteful. He has pics of you on his phone. With this one little nexgard chew comes the confidence, youre doing whats right, to protect your dog from fleas and ticks for a full month. Its the 1 vet recommended protection. And its safe for puppies. Nexgard. What one little chew can do. A cockroach can survive heresubmerged ttle guy. Underwater for 30 minutes. Wow. Yeah. Not getting in today. Terminix. Defenders of home. Here, hello starts with hi mple. How can i help . A data plan for everyone. Everyone . Everyone. Lets send to everyone [ camera clicking ] wifi up there . Ahhh. Sure, why not . Howd he get out . a camera might figure it out. That was easy glad i could help. At xfinity, were here to make life simple. Easy. Awesome. So come ask, shop, discover at your xfinity store today. Though the fbi posted its arrest warrant with interpol an International Police organization, weinberger was, for all intents and purposes, out of sight and out of mind. But not in northwest indiana. He needs to be held to account, more than that he needs to be punished. And its my job to do that. For ken allen, the weinberger case felt personal. This was his backyard. And though he may not look like a working class hero in his tailored suits, ken allen says his father was a steel worker, like many of weinbergers former patients. In fact, allen says he worked in the mills himself as a teenager. Thats him behind the wedding mask. A lot of my colleagues as lawyers somehow think they morph into Something Different once they get a law degree and all of that. And i know who i am. I knew where i came from, and i dont forget that. Though hard to prove, ken allen believes his lawsuit on behalf of Phyllis Barnes and her subsequent death are what caused Mark Weinberger to flee. Weinberger realized at that juncture that his gig was up. He knew, having killed someone, that it was not something he could easily sweep under the rug. And so, with prosecutorial zeal, this personal injury attorney hired private investigators to chase down rumored sightings of Mark Weinberger. In china. Israel. And france. It was almost like sightings of elvis because we would get tips or leads that wed follow up on to a blind alley. But it was in this remote corner of italy, not far from the swiss border, that our story takes its most intriguing turn. Two years after Mark Weinberger slipped off that yacht in the greek islands, a mysterious american rolled into the Alpine Village of courmayeur, making a lasting impression with his money. Courmayeur crouches in the shadow of europes highest peak on italys side of the border with switzerland. Its quaint and remote. Wealthy tourists are drawn to the slopes for the skiing in winter and mountain climbing in warmer months. At night, they fill the local bars, cafes and restaurants, all of it providing the perfect cover for anyone who wants to live well without standing out. Call it st. Moritz without the glitz. Do you forget how spectacular this is when you live here . You cant. You cant because its very, very spectacular. Very spectacular. Lieutenant colonel guido davida heads this Italian State Police headquarters. You know everyone. No. Everyone knows me. According to the colonel, it was in late 2006 at the beginning of another winter ski season that a certain highrolling stranger rolled in to courmayeur. And he arrived how . In a large limousine with a driver were told. First class. Very first class. Very first class. Locals say the stranger appeared to be an american. A nice man. Very quiet man. Did he cause problems here . No. Sometimes he disappeared for months at a time. Later Police Suspected the stranger may have had business to transact on the other side ever the mountains in switzerland. He went to a couple of time to swiss. To switzerland. Yes. Also by bicycle. Yes. Do you think he had Bank Accounts there . Yes. And. Thats your basic threepoint turn. [ scoffs ] if you say so. Im sorry . What teach here isnt telling you is that snapshot rewards safe drivers with discounts on Car Insurance. What . Or maybe he didnt know. [ chuckles ] im done with this class. Youre not even enrolled in this class. I know. Im supposed to be in ceramics. Do you know room 303. Oh. Thank you. Yeah. Good luck, everybody. Oh. Thank you. Yeah. With this one little nexgard chew comes the confidence, youre doing whats right, to protect your dog from fleas and ticks for a full month. And its the only chew, fda approved to prevent infections that cause lyme disease. Nexgard. What one little chew can do. Were on the move. Hey rick, all good . Oh yeah, were good. Were good. Terminix. Defenders of home. Whatever this mysterious american was up to, it didnt take long for locals to realize he had a taste for the finer things and always paid in cash. He had no job. He spent the time at the cafe with his computer or he went shopping. What kinds of things did he buy . Very, very expensive material for climbing. Any sign of a bank account here in town . No. Just cash. Just cash. This is the main street of courmayeur. And some very nice highend shops here. Yes. Very expensive, too. This is a place where he frequented. Yes. An american with money is always welcome. But in a small town like courmayeur, it was inevitable that someone would pull up a chair, perhaps buy him a drink, and try to learn something about this solitary american and pass it along. Did you ever see him here . His name according to those who gained his confidence was mark. Mark something. It sound quite like a german last name. Mark stern. Whenever he was in town, mark stern seemed to be a fixture on the nearby slopes by day and a cafe presence by night. No one seemed to know where he slept exactly until late 2008. Here on the left we have the agency. Thats when he walked into this Real Estate Office and signed a lease. This is where he rented his apartment. Yes. It looked as though the rich american intended to stick around for a while. Its not a very affordable place. The apartment he lents was in a convenient spot near the center of town. Whatever you need is right here. Just a few steps from the lift that carries skiers up to the slopes and just a few yards down the block from a local grocery. He would shop in here . Yes. Handy for a single man to grab a few supplies and something simple to heat up at home. The stranger might well have lived on indefinitely as courmayeurs very own International Man of mystery, had he not walked into that Grocery Store one night and struck up a conversation with a woman behind the register. That is where our story takes another fateful turn because it was in that moment that the rich american proceeded to make a mistake that has proved the undoing of men ever since adam accepted that apple from eve. The man who called himself mark stern was about to fall in love. For more than two years, Mark Weinberger walked the streets of europe safe in the anonymity of crowds. According to vanity fair writer Buzz Bissinger, he cut away people from the past, anyone who knew his name with the cool detachment of a surgeon. I think its im rejecting everything i had in the past. Maybe you dont like your wife or maybe you do. He leaves in september of 2004. Never, ever contacts her again. Hes got a brother neil who hes very close to. Never, ever contacts him again. So thats what were dealing with. It must have been exhilarating at first, using fake names and covering your tracks like a character in some spy novel. But in all fiction stories there comes a time and place where a woman enters the story and carefully wrought plans begin to crumble. For the man calling himself mark stern, the place was courmayeur, and the woman in question had a past as intriguing as his own. I saw him in my market. A customer. Yeah. He came to bring milk, bananas, some cheese. He was buying milk, banana, cheese from you. Yeah. Monica spaconi, a transsexual, had recently had an operation to become female. She said the man who walked into her store bought groceries from her more than two dozen times in the winter of 20072008. Sometimes he paused to make small talk. What name did he use . Mark stern. Then she says she didnt see him for a while. In the springtime, disappear. Summertime, too. Monica says that when mark stern returned at the end of november 2008, he told her he had been bicycling around europe. It was then, monica says, she and that outdoorsy american began skiing together practically every day. And he began telling her stories about his life. He told me to be married and to be divorced. And to have a strange wife, asking money, money, money, money, money. Mercedes first. He said his wife wanted all these things. Exactly. He laughed about her. He laughed about her. Yeah. Monica says mark stern told her he was a stockbroker from new york who had made a lot of money but now only wanted to live a peaceful life. And he told me, my life was really, really, really stressed, and now and here i enjoy here and so ive found finally quiet. And that was impressive for me because im quiet. According to monica, her mark stern was a born romantic, who knew how to sweep a girl off her feet. So valentines day 2009, he arrived with this rose with a big smile, was an amazing night. So there happened private things. Love. Yeah. Yeah. First time with him and after i was always it was always good. Monica says even in their moments of intimacy the man she knew as mark stern clammed up whenever she asked for details about his past. What he told me was, dont ask me my past, please. Dont ask. Exactly. Still, monica says the relationship became serious enough that she introduced him to her parents, who were quite taken by this sophisticated american. With my parents, talked about economy, talked about experience on the mountain, philosophy. Philosophy. Philosophy, yeah. Philosophy, a tantalizing clue perhaps but only for someone familiar with the life story of a certain freespending, philosophyloving Fugitive Doctor from america. Philosophy, after all, had always been a pet passion of Mark Weinbergers. But that tidbit meant nothing to monica. She had never even heard of Mark Weinberger. All she knew was that this man, this mark stern, loved her. From the first day he was a really good man with me. With me, my family, with my friends, was a good man. For me was a good man. In the spring of 2009, monica says she and mark took a grueling bike trip through alpine passes to switzerland. Monica says it was in a Swiss Village that mark told her he wanted to spend one night on the mountain alone. The next morning i bring my cycle and up the mountain to him. He come close to me with a big smile, screaming thank you, monica, thank you, monica, thank you, monica. Why, mark . Because i passed the best night of my life. After returning to courmayeur, monica says mark stern told her he had been inspired by that night on the mountain and wanted to spend a whole year at a High Altitude in a tent alone. He wanted to write a book, how to survive above 6,000 feet. Exactly. For an entire year. That September Monica says mark set up and equipped three separate campsites in the mountains above courmayeur. Really beautiful. Really beautiful. She says he told her that after publishing that book he was writing they would move to switzerland together and perhaps adopt children. This is my little city i started building. And so, as the temperatures dropped in the fall of 2009 and the snow came, the man monica knew as mark stern set to make a name for himself in the alps. To her, it seemed crazy. But writer Buzz Bissinger says monicas mark stern was actually behaving true to form. I think when he decided, im living this philosophical, aesthetic monklike life, i have to do it big live type. Im going to go to the mountain and live up to my butt in snow, in 15degreebelow weather and prove my manhood, unlike anyone else has ever proved it. It makes perfect sense to me because thats exactly what a narcissist does. So this is my camp. Monica recorded this video of her boyfriends mountain campsite on her cell phone. So the city is growing a little. Though his tastes for having the very best gear money could buy is evident, the new and improved alpine mark demonstrates he has learned the value of improvisation. These are 8 gardening gloves, and i got sick of getting my hands wet with my expensive 100 euro hightech goretex gloves. In this clip, mark and monica have found an unoccupied shelter on the mountain. Its not as posh as that chicago townhouse he once owned, but after months of living alone in a tent, this shelter seems to suit him. If i owned this place, i would live here. I would live here. Why not . For sure. These were the happy times, the moments when past burdens seemed to melt away like spring snow. But monica says there were also days when her lover seemed to be cracking under the weight of something unseen. And yet undeniable. November 2009, he was a little depressed because was cold and at the time he was alone. And so was difficult, really difficult. One day he began to cry. Whats up, mark . Whats up . Im tired, really tired. Why, mark . Forget, but im tired. Was mark stern just tired of living in a tent or tired of living a lie . Whichever it was, as he settled in for another cold and lonely night on the mountain, he had no idea of how close his past was to catching up to him. But how close were police to catching up to him . Its the alps. There are a lot of places to hide. Lowes knows you do an update right. And save the best for last. We do it right, too. With the latest samsung family hub™ refrigerator featuring family board. So, what you bring home brings home together. I want it that way. I cant believe it. That karl brought his karaoke machine . Aint nothing but a heartache. No, i cant believe how easy it was to save hundreds of dollars on my Car Insurance with geico. I never wanna hear you say. No, kevin. No, kevin believe it geico could save you fifteen percent or more on Car Insurance. Are confusing quilted northern are confusing quilted northernf. For a bouncy castle. Theyre both durable, flexible and nice to have at parties. But quilted northern is not a bouncy castle. Its just really nice toilet paper. And my side super soft . With the sleep number 360 smart bed it can with your sleep number setting. Can it help keep me asleep . Yes, it senses your movements and automatically adjusts to keep you both comfortable. Save up to 800 on select sleep number 360 smart beds. Ends saturday. You can go first. Audible reintroduced this whole world to me. So many Great Stories from amazing people. It makes me want to be better. To be able to connect with the peoples stories that im listening to. Thats inspiration. Its on during my commute, its on all the time. Doing the dishes. Working out. While im in the car. At bed time. An audible listener is someone that wants to broaden their mind. People who are tired of listening to the radio, or music. To hear her speak those words. It was incredible. It was unbelievable. With audible originals, theres something for almost every taste in there. Everything you ever wanted to hear. I signed up for getting a credit every month, and i started exploring books that i normally wouldnt read. Our ability to empathize through these stories, with these stories, can be transformational. Its my own thing that i can do for me. See what listening to audible can do for you. Just text listen5 to 500500. For years after her husband abandoned her in the greek isles, Michelle Kramer fought back every way she could. She tried tracking him down herself, following leads to paris and cannes. She enlisted the publics help. It was peeling the scars from my heart. Once the story grew cold, michelle resigned herself to the probability Mark Weinberger was gone forever. I had hoped that he would be caught, but i thought there was a really good chance that he would die on the run in europe and nobody would know where he was. Then in december 2008, four years after Mark Weinberger left her with just a passport and 1,000 euros, Michelle Kramer got a call from the fbi and asked her to do an interview with americas most wanted. The fbi hoped i would help them. I had stopped doing a lot of media at that point. I was focusing on my career and trying to move forward. But i thought, okay, ill help with the investigation. I felt like i really needed an answer from him. It was a long shot, michelle thought, another pointless appeal broadcast into the ether. Hes probably living the high life again somewhere in the mediterranean. This time was different. This time the Mark Weinberger story found extended shelf life on the internet where more than a year later on december 9, 2009, the right pair of eyes finally found it. So i receive a strange call to my phone, was a friend. He told me, monica, mark is not what he claim to be. What do you mean . Trust me. The next day, that friend met with monica and showed her a picture of the man she knew as mark stern. It was a printout taken from the americas most wanted web site. My entire world fall. My knees crack. Whats up . Its not true. And my you didnt believe it. Yeah. I dont believe it. A quick internet search confirmed the dimensions of a lie that left her dazzled and undone. Her lover, mark stern, was actually Mark Weinberger, an International Fugitive and he was apparently capable of anything. First think, okay, i go to the police. I know where he is. Im sorry, mark, but you need to tell the truth. Exactly. I think it was a very torturous decision, but i think at the end of the day she felt she had an obligation. I give her a tremendous amount of credit. She did the right thing. It was inside this Police Station that monica spaconi told police her lover, perhaps her first since becoming a woman, was a wanted man. Was she crying . Not exactly. But she was very, very scared. Who really was this mark she knew . Colonel davida says soon after monica left the office, a local rental agent walked in, also complaining about a man named mark who hadnt paid his rent in three months. Most important, the agency had a copy of Mark Weinbergers real passport. He left a copy of his real passport . A copy of his real passport, yes. And hes a fugitive on the run. Yes. You cant rent a flat if you dont leave a copy of your document. Not only did police now know monicas boyfriend and the deadbeat renter were one in the same, thanks to monica, they also knew which of three campsites he was currently using. She also told us mark was going to stay there for a week. He would be in this location for a week. For a week, yes. Without her doing that, who knows if they ever would have found him . You know, its the alps. There are a lot of places to hide. The next day, police put a helicopter in the air to search the area. Though they saw tracks in the snow, near where monica said they would find weinbergers camp, bad weather forced them to abandon the aerial search. But even then luck seemed to be with the police. Hikers just down from the mountain reported seeing something strange. The same day people coming down from mountain told us there was strange male leaving a tent. Finally, on the morning of december 15, 2009, three days after monica had first tipped them off, a team of Police Officers set out on a crosscountry trek to a remote area near the swiss border. In the distance, we could see a man Walking Around a tent. Did he seem startled to see you . Yes. And what does he say . There were not wearing the uniform. They approached, asking him, what are you doing here . He answered, i want to live a quiet life. I want to live a quiet life. Yeah. They asked him, who are you . He answered, my name is Mark Weinberger. And that was that. After five years on the run and four months on the mountain, the search for Mark Weinberger was over. No confrontation, no dash for freedom. Instead, the Fugitive Doctor posed for pictures. Inside the tent, police found euros worth about 3,000, topnotch equipment, a stockpile of food and medicine. Cialis, like viagra. And some survival medications. Under italian law, weinberger could be held for 24 hours while police verified his identity. So Mark Weinberger was taken back down the mountain to the Police Barracks in courmayeur. He was in very good shape, very quiet. I asked him, are you married . Im divorced. Whats your job . Im a surgeon. A surgeon. Did he say anything about the charges against him . No. While at the Police Station, weinberger was given a cursory patdown and offered lunch. He had food with us at our same table. Was he hungry . I think, yes. Also because our food is very, very how i say good. According to the officers at the table, weinberger took a desperate turn. What can you say about what happened next . We better not talk about that, please. Coming up Mark Weinberger had not yet given up on escaping his past. I dont think they have any idea whats going to happen. Its tough to quit smoking cold turkey. So chantix can help you quit slow turkey. Along with support, chantix is proven to help you quit. With chantix you can keep smoking at first and ease into quitting. Chantix reduces the urge so when the day arrives, youll be more ready to kiss cigarettes goodbye. When you try to quit smoking, with or without chantix, you may have nicotine withdrawal symptoms. Stop chantix and get help right away if you have changes in behavior or thinking, aggression, hostility, depressed mood, suicidal thoughts or actions, seizures, new or worse heart or blood vessel problems, sleepwalking, or lifethreatening allergic and skin reactions. Decrease alcohol use. Use caution driving or operating machinery. Tell your doctor if youve had Mental Health problems. The most common side effect is nausea. Quit smoking slow turkey. Talk to your doctor about chantix. Hey, who are you . Oh, hey jeff, im a car thief. What . im here to steal your car because, well, thats my job. What . What . . What . laughing what . . What . what . [crash] what . haha, it happens. And if youve got cutrate Car Insurance, paying for this could feel like getting robbed twice. So get allstate. And be better protected from mayhem. Like me. Mno kidding. Rd. But moving your internet and tv . Thats easy. Easy . easy . Easy. Because now xfinity lets you transfer your Service Online in just about a minute with a few simple steps. Really . Really. That was easy. Yup. Plus, with twohour appointment windows, its all on your schedule. Awesome. Now all you have to do is move. That thing. [ sigh ] introducing an easier way to move with xfinity. Its just another way were working to make your life simple, easy, awesome. Go to xfinity. Com moving to get started. After five years on the run, the capture of Mark Weinberger in the italian alps was almost anticlimatic. No shootouts, car chases or international intrigue. Just friendly cops chatting up an amiable american over pictures, pasta and wine. Its very italian and everything seems cool. Any sense of what was about to happen next . None. No. I think they were shocked. He says he has to go to the bathroom, as would be police procedure, they follow him into the bathroom. I dont think they have any idea whats going to happen. An italian cop stood in an open doorway as weinberger sat on the toilet. Then in a flash, the officer saw weinbergers hand jerked toward his own throat. He pulls a knife out that he has concealed and attempts to kill himself. Though weinberger managed to inflict a superficial cut on his neck, Police Officers were able to stop him before he did serious damage. Some say he was trying to attempt suicide so he would get placed in a prison hospital. I dont think he was thinking that far ahead. I think he was trying to kill himself. Days later, while recovering in a hospital, he tried again, this time by putting a plastic bag over his head. He did not want to go back. There was too much, a trail of devastation. Within a week, news of Mark Weinbergers arrest was everywhere. In merrillville, indiana, former patients woke to find their nose doctor on the front page. In alabama, Michelle Kramer, the wife he had abandoned, was just wrapping up another long day as a psychology intern when she heard the news. Tears started coming out of my eyes and i didnt know if they were tears of joy or tears of sadness. I couldnt even identify what my emotions were. Out in california, shawn barnes, a College Student, was heading home for the holidays when her aunt called to tell her. I got that news, and you have all this time to think going across the country. And it was just like the strangest Christmas Present i ever could have imagined. Shawns mother Phyllis Barnes, remember, had been a patient of weinbergers and filed the first malpractice suit against him. I wasnt sure at first if it was a good or bad thing or what. By february 2010, arrangements for weinbergers extradition had been completed and he was back in the United States and facing a world of legal trouble. First, there was a 22count criminal Insurance Fraud indictment charging him with billing surgeries he didnt do and overbilling for those he did do. Then hundreds of former patients were suing him for malpractice. What he has done to my daughter is horrific. Remember Valerie Thomas daughter kayla . Shes the adorable 8yearold who got sinus surgery from Mark Weinberger back in 2004 when her real problem was a brain tumor. Shes 15 now and still struggling with complications from that surgery. He knew what he was doing. He knew that the surgery could cause me problems. What kind of a man do you think would skip out on all this trouble . A coward. While weinberger was chasing adventure in europe are you happy . Im happy, baby. Kayla is growing up with a benign tumor in her head. Kaylas mom says the tumor could not be removed because extensive scar tissue from the weinberger surgery blocked access to it. Shes had spinal taps because of the tumor causing intercranial pressure. A lot of things are taken day by day. And thats the way you want to take it. I guess right now theres no other way to take it. She wonders what life would have been like had she never met Mark Weinberger. I realize more now than then he affects my quality of life now because if they had gotten more of the tumor out, maybe my life now could be a little bit better. Patients and others hoping Mark Weinberger would be severely punished by the criminal Justice System were soon disappointed. Eight months after his return to the United States, federal prosecutors offered Mike Weinberger a plea deal which he accepted. In exchange for agreeing to plead guilty to all of the federal Insurance Fraud charges, Mark Weinberger would get four years in prison. If he gets four years, a slap on the wrist in club fed, i guarantee you he will be out somewhere, whether its in the United States or somewhere else, practicing medicine doing the same kind of thing in some way, shape or form. Regardless of the punishment he had ultimately received from the criminal Justice System, it seemed certain the malpractice suits would keep him tied up in civil courts for years. Each with the potential to put Mark Weinberger in a financial prison from which there is no parole. It really is not about the money. Its about getting a large judgment against this man so that he cant feel any freedom for the rest of his life. March 2011, 6 1 2 years after he disappeared into the greek night, the first malpractice case against Mark Weinberger was ready for trial in civil court. Coming up he is a very evil person. Nothing is ever as cutanddry as you believe it is. If your dishwasher doesnt get dishes completely dry. Try finish jetdrys new stronger formula. It dries 100 better than detergent alone even plastics. Get dishes drier than you ever thought possible. Try finish jetdry. Perhaps it was always there, in his eyes, a calculating gaze that could convince women to love him. I love you, baby. I love you, baby. Persuade patients to trust him. I was very impressed with him. And make even seasoned cops believe he was harmless. He looked happy. Whatever it was, the eyes that stared out from front pages after Mark Weinbergers capture, still had the power to move even those he had left behind. The look in the eyes is a look ive never seen from him, that i would have never expected to see on his face. And that when you care about somebody and you see that kind of look, it cant help but touch you. Suzette dennington, once Mark Weinbergers top medical assistant, was one of the few willing to say a kind word about him as his legal problems mounted. Nothing is ever as cut and try as you believe it is. According to dennington, weinberger was a fine doctor simply being attacked by patients and lawyers because of the salacious tabloid aspects of his story had made him an easy target. I really dont think that he set out to scam the world and, you know, be guilty of all the things that they are so easily saying hes guilty of. Attorney ken allen, however, sees it differently. You look into somebodys eyes and you expect some glimmer of humanity, some soul, something. He has nothing. He is a very evil person. In preparing to bring the Phyllis Barnes case to court, ken allen was able to question the runaway doctor in jail. I saw a very sinister person, a very sinister person. And a person who is very capable of pretending he has some measure of remorse. But i could see he was not changed or remorseful at all. In march 2011, more than six years after her death, the family of Phyllis Barnes finally got their chance to present their malpractice case against Mark Weinberger in a civil trial. Weinberger elected not to attend. Ken allens case hinged on convincing the jury weinberger could have caught phyllis cancer had he given her a thorough examination. Allen told the jurors that Phyllis Barnes, a twopackaday smoker had gone to see weinberger complaining of trouble bleeding, coughing and hoarseness. She was coughing up blood. Despite all of that, allen said weinberger violated standard of care by focusing exclusively on her sinuses. He was an ent doctor. Mark weinberger simply forgot about the e and t and focused on the n. You cant do that. If youre an ent doctor, youre required to examine a patients throat. That was one of the reasons why phyllis came to see him. Weinberger didnt even bother to look at her throat. As if calling his next witness from the grave, ken allen played a recording of Phyllis Barnes on a large tv monitor. He told me that he only took whatever the insurance was willing to pay, and i felt like that was everything seemed to this was all good, that it was just sinuses and no problem. So he did order a cat scan of the sinuses and scheduled surgery. This, ken allen told the jury, is the cat scan dr. Weinberger did of Phyllis Barnes sinuses. According to experts who testified at trial, the scan showed phyllis sinuses were actually clear. Weinberger and i hesitate to call him a doctor treated Phyllis Barnes as nothing more than an insurance paycheck. According to the ear nose and throat doctor who discovered phyllis throat cancer two months later, the sinus surgery was not only unnecessary, it probably caused her cancer to grow more rapidly than it might have otherwise. Ken allen told the jury the reason Mark Weinberger recommended sinus surgery for Phyllis Barnes was greed. Mark weinberger needed money to support his lavish lifestyle, allen told the court, and sinus surgery is what paid the bills. Will you please tell us your name and spell your last name for the court reporter. Michelle kramer. Allen put weinbergers exwife michelle on the big screen to talk about their high life. We had a yacht that was in the mediterranean half the year and in the balm bahamas the other half of the year. In prerecorded testimony, michelle told the court that the Phyllis Barnes case weighed heavily on her husbands mind the week before he abandoned her. He was constantly fretting and worrying about the lawsuit, becoming increasingly paranoid and anxious. Shawn barnes, phyllis daughter, also told the court of the devastating effect her mothers death had on her life. Her father had died of brain cancer 18 months earlier. I basically had to grow up overnight. Suddenly had bills to pay, was in danger of losing my house and i had to go to school. I was going to work part time. I didnt have the opportunity to go out and be a College Student or be a teenager because i had all of these responsibilities suddenly. Ken allen wrapped up his case by playing the testimony he recorded of Mark Weinberger in jail. We cant show you the tape because the judge in the case ruled that broadcasting it would prejudice future juries. However, we can tell you that Mark Weinberger answered the question the same way more than 150 times, on the advice of counsel, im asserting my fifth amendment privilege not to answer the question. After that it deposition was played for the court, weinbergers attorney began his defense by admitting Mark Weinberger is probably not a likeable guy. But that he told the jury is beside the point. This case, he says, is about one thing and one thing only. Dr. Weinbergers treatment of Phyllis Barnes. James ho was the attorney hired by weinbergers malpractice insurer to defend him. Ho did not respond to a request for an interview. However, in court he told the jury Phyllis Barnes needed sinus surgery. Not only was she a candidate but after that surgery she never again complained about her sinuses. Vanity fair writer Buzz Bissinger says that defense fits in perfectly with what hes learned about Mark Weinberger. I believe he thinks all of the surgery he did was necessary. Weinbergers lawyer had witnesses that said Phyllis Barnes cancer was probably not even detectible when she first visited dr. Weinberger. In fact, other professionals such as the emergency room doctors who had seen Phyllis Barnes at the same time had failed to detect her throat cancer. I would ask people just to look at it for more than just one side. Interestingly, suzette dennington, perhaps Mark Weinbergers most passionate defender, was not called to testify. He advertised just as a sinus specialist. Patients called him knowing or suspecting they had sinus problems. Why is it unusual that he confirms that, yes, indeed you have that condition and why would he not offer them a surgical solution to their conditions . Weinbergers attorney closed his case by reminding the jury the case before them only concerned dr. Weinbergers treatment of one patient, not that doctors wealth or reputation or the fact that he had fled the country. With that, the jury began deliberating on how much, if any, money should be paid by Mark Weinberger and his Insurance Company to the family of Phyllis Barnes. There was one more twist still to come, and it could end up costing Mark Weinberger so much more than money. Weinberger believes hes the smartest man in the room, and today he discovered hes not. Protect your pet with the 1 name in flea and tick protection. Frontline plus. Trusted by vets for nearly 20 years. Keith used to be great to roadtrip with. But since he bought his house. Are you going 45 . Uh, yes. 55 is a suggestion. Its kind of like driving with his dad. What a sign, huh . Terry, can you take a selfie of me . Take a selfie of you . Yeah. Can you make it look like im holding it . He did show us how to bundle home and auto at progressive. Com and save a bunch of money. Oh, a plaque. He later navigated northward, leaving. Progressive cant protect you from becoming your parents. But we can protect your home and auto when you bundle with us. But we can protect your home and auto a migfrom aimovig. To be there for the good. And not so good. For the mundane. The aweinspiring. The heartracing. The heartbreaking. Thats what life is all about. Showing up. Unless migraine steals your chance to say. I am here. We aim to change that. With aimovig. A preventive treatment for migraine in adults. One dose, once a month. Aimovig is proven to reduce the number of monthly migraine days. For some, that number can be cut in half or more. Dont take aimovig if youre allergic to it. Allergic reactions like rash or swelling can happen hours to days after use. Common side effects include injection site reactions and constipation. It doesnt matter what each day brings. So long as you can say. I am here. Aim to be there more. Talk to your doctor about aimovig. A cockroach can survive submergede guy. Underwater for 30 minutes. Wow. Yeah, wow. Not getting in today. Not on my watch. Pests never stop trying to get in. We never stop working to keep them out. Terminix. Defenders of home. The skies turned blue over northwest indiana the day the case went toed jury. 25yearold shawn barnes could feel a burden lifting. Its been hanging over my head for at this point almost ten years. In the whatif world of her imagination, shawn barnes sees herself living the life of a typical 25yearold, a talented her friends she still would have a parent to turn to if she got into a jam. I try not to think about it because i feel like the more i think of the what ifs, the more i just hurt myself in the long run. But in a lot of ways i feel like, if i didnt have to live my life completely on my own, maybe i could get somewhere. Shawn was still a teenager when her mothers death made her an orphan. Her inheritance consisted of a small Life Insurance payout and a pile of debt, including a mortgage on the old house she grew up in. I learned every type of insurance you had to have in about a day and a half and how to pay all of these bills and i cut off my cable and i got a different phone and just how to cut down all of these costs. And it was things that no one else my age ever had to think of. She did get help once Mark Weinberger fled the country and the local press began writing about the people he left behind. With donation, loans, scholarships and parttime jobs, shawn put herself through college. In 2008, she graduated with honors. I had 17 years with my dad, 19 years with my mom. And even the bad parts were still better than some of the lives i see other People Living who have parents. I wish i had both of them still. I wish i had opportunities that other people i see my age having. But im glad that it was really good when it was. It was after dark by the time the jury of four men and four women reached their unanimous decision. Dr. Mark weinberger had committed malpractice in the case of Phyllis Barnes. Were pleased that the jury has held Mark Weinberger accountable for his misdeeds. The jury determined that phyllis estate should be awarded a total of 13 million in compensatory and punitive damages. Having this verdict at least puts her to rest in the most positive way, knowing that, you know, in her passing shes bringing this man to justice. Indiana caps malpractice awards at 1. 25 million. And though Mark Weinbergers Insurance Company is on the hook for 250,000, weinberger says hes broke. Still, the verdict is a significant first step in ken allens pledge to bury Mark Weinberger under a mountain of debt. If you had him in front of him, what would you tell him . This is your just desserts, you son of a bitch. Ken allen is a shark. When he gets a case, he is a dog with a bone. Suzette dennington, his wife michelle and, yes, monica spaconi, the woman who turned him in. Imagine, shes turning in the man she loves, maybe the only person shes ever really truly felt comfortable with and loved in her life. How deep is the scar for you . Its deep. Its deep. Deep. But monica says she still cares deeply for the man she knew as mark stern and the feeling is evidently mutual. I receive a letter from a collection. What did it say . I love you. Dont forget me or dont forget the mountain. So he search to be real with me. He was i think real with me. Its noteworthy that shortly after weinbergers capture in italy, his italian girlfriend began corresponding with his american ex via facebook. I was picturing a thin blonde girl who was maybe about 20, 25. I was 25 when i met him. Thats what i had picture. Monica is about the opposite of you. Yes. We shared one thing in common. He lied to her and he lied to me. And i did everything i could to get him turned in, and she actually is the person that turned him in. So we had a lot in common. It took a few years, but Michelle Kramer has moved on in her life. Remember how she felt about the lawyers who began zeroing in on her exhusband just before he fled . I think its a bit opportunistic but thats the state of our legal system in this country. Shes changed her mind about that. I thought the lawyers were targeting him and he was just too cowardly to stand up and thats why he left. But i didnt think he actually did any of these things. But now you do. I do. You think the lawyers had a right to go after him. Oh, yeah. Im very glad that they did. Whether he hopes to return to monica in the alps one day or write a book about his time there, Mark Weinberger will apparently have plenty of time to plan his next step. Last month, a federal courthouse rejected the plea deal weinberger agreed to with prosecutors saying 4 1 2 years was not nearly enough given the scope of the crime. After the judge rejected the deal, Mark Weinberger withdrew his guilty plea. He now faces the possibility of a criminal trial and a much longer prison term if hes convicted on all 22 counts of health care fraud. It feels so good to know that hes not going to get out anytime in the foreseeable future. I think everybody can rest easier knowing that. And i think my sister would be pleased with the decision. Weinberger believes that hes the smartest man in the room, and today he discovered hes not. I think this will end for him in jail, and thats our hope. As a student of philosophy, Mark Weinberger is no doubt familiar with the ancient greek philosopher who wrote, a mans character is his fate. He was very grandiose, he whereas very entitled. He was haughty at times. For Michelle Kramer whose life changed in the blink of a greek sunset and many former patients and their families, the imprisonment and public shaming of dr. Nose feels like a fate well deserved. Im craig melvin. And im natalie moralis. And this is dateline. I dont know what it is about my mom that has captured the heart of so many people. Theres just something to her that people connect with. What was so beautiful about her, it made her a target, too. She was the queen of the Million Dollar listing, the Real Estate Broker who sealed the deal. Her customers love her