Doctor sentenced in implant case

Greg Tuttle

Monday, Oct. 9, 2000 | 11:29 a.m.

A Beverly Hills, Calif., doctor who helped Las Vegas cocktail waitresses receive breast implants and other cosmetic surgeries through a scheme to defraud insurance providers has been sentenced in U.S. District Court.

Dr. Lee Newman, 65, was sentenced Friday to six months home confinement after pleading guilty to charges of conspiracy and obstruction. Newman is the third person to be sentenced following an investigation by the FBI.

Joan Heubsch, 47, of Las Vegas was sentenced in September to one year of probation after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health insurance fraud.

Sophia Doa Stack, 51, of Anaheim, Calif., received a sentence of four months home confinement after also pleading guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit health insurance fraud.

A fourth defendant, Suzi Alter, of Moreno Valley, Calif., has yet to be sentenced in the case.

Prosecutors said Heubsch, who was employed at the MGM Grand, agreed to pay $3,000 for breast implants that cost $10,000. The procedure is not covered by the company's medical insurance plan.

Heubsch and other woman at the hotel were recruited for the surgery by Stack, who prosecutors said was paid a kickback by Alter and Newman of $500 for every patient she referred. Newman performed the surgeries at a medical center owned by Alter.

Newman also was ordered to pay $21,500 in restitution and a $43,000 fine. He was charged with a similar crime in California two years ago and served five months in prison and had his medical license revoked.