Staten Island man charged with masquerading as doctor, prescribing meds to patients

STATEN ISLAND (WABC) -- Authorities in Staten Island have charged a man with being a fake doctor and illegally prescribing medications to patients.

Acting Richmond County District Attorney Daniel L. Master, Jr. announced the arrest and 12-count indictment of a man who he said had been masquerading as a clinical psychologist and medical doctor for approximately three years.

It is believed he has provided professional mental health services to over one-hundred patients, including parolees, although that number may grow as the investigation continues, Master said.

Donald R. Lee-Edwards was arrested Wednesday and arraigned yesterday in Staten Island Supreme Court and held on $150,000 bond/$75,000 bail.

Prosecutors said that Lee was unqualified and unlicensed and routinely diagnosed and treated patients, required the submission of blood and urine samples, interpreted laboratory and test results, and often prescribed anti-depressants.

Members of the public who were treated by him are encouraged to contact Detective Steven Greco of the Richmond County District Attorney's NYPD Detective Squad at 718-556-7161.

"This so-called 'doctor' is a dangerous scam artist who never completed any medical school or doctoral program. He merely bestowed upon himself the professional titles of clinical psychologist and medical doctor; he is neither trained nor licensed to provide any mental health or medical services," said Master. "We believe this is only the beginning of the investigation and we'll uncover many more people who have possibly been treated by this doctor."

Lee-Edwards, 43, operated out of a basement apartment below a 2-family residence at 255 Gordon St., Stapleton. His office letterhead identifies the practice as "Dr. Donald R. Lee-Edwards, PhD. & Clinical Associates" and that it is located in "Suite B."

The converted space includes a waiting room with a seating area, a kitchenette, a front desk, and rooms for treatment. Office security includes keypad access and video surveillance. However, there is no signage outside the location to indicate a business on the premises, authorities say. He lives with his parents in a first-floor apartment at the same location.

"He was making diagnoses, he was prescribing drugs, this is a clear and present danger to the general public."

We spoke briefly to Lee-Edwards' mother at their home, who had little to say about the pending charges. "I don't know anything, and I don't want to be a part of anything, they have him, they keep him," she said. "I know that he went to University of Phoenix, for psych." Prosecutors say he was a complete fraud.

According to investigataors, Lee-Edwards advertised himself as a Clinical Psychologist, Ph.D., MD, LP to his patients and boasted of having worked "extensively with family members and victims of 9/11." He also made himself available for home visits in

certain circumstances.

Since 2013, Lee-Edwards has allegedly seen approximately 10 parolees through word-of-mouth referrals, not through anycontractual agreement with Parole.

He would confer with parole officers about whether parolees attended sessions and have progress reports prepared for the parolees' files.

The Richmond County District Attorney's Office was first notified of his suspicious practice in mid-June 2015 by skeptical patients who had concerns about the purported doctor's unorthodox bedside manner during treatment sessions and his questionable prescribing practices.

The investigation, which utilized physical and electronic surveillance, uncovered that Lee-Edwards was able to avoid detection from the authorities by calling in prescriptions to pharmacies, bypassing the need for a New York State-issued prescription pad.

Also, the investigation has thus far revealed that Lee-Edwards unlawfully prescribed his patients generic Zoloft, which is not on the list of controlled substances required to be inputted by practitioners and pharmacists into a database

monitored by the Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement and the Drug Enforcement Administration. This prevented him from being flagged by the Internet System for Tracking Over-Prescribing (I-STOP), a prescription monitoring program that most prescribers are required to consult when writing prescriptions for Schedule II, III, and IV controlled substances.