'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The tale of the Indiana-based ENT specialist and sinus surgeon, Mark Weinberger, took to the headlines as it shocked the nation in 2004. Weinberger had been overbilling insurance companies and performing unnecessary surgeries before he was sued by over 350 of his patients.
Weinberger fled to Europe while he was on a vacation to Mykonos with his third wife, Michelle Kramer, and stayed on the run for the next five years. He was extradited from Europe in 2009 when his Italian girlfriend, Monica, revealed his location at Mont Blanc.
Dateline: Secrets Uncovered season 13 episode 9 titled A Wanted Man showcases the horrific crimes by Mark Weinberger as it airs on Oxygen on July 31, 2024, at 8 p.m. EST. The official synopsis reads,
Trending
"The question of a surgeon's whereabouts remains unanswered for five years after he disappears while on vacation in the Greek Islands with his wife, leaving behind financial ruin and mounting malpractice suits from patients in the U.S."
What did Mark Weinberger do?
Episode 9 of season 13 of Dateline: Secrets Uncovered brought to light the true nature of Mark Weinberger's crimes as he meddled with insurance fraud and medical malpractice. According to The Guardian, Weinberger had disappeared from his powerboat while he was on a vacation with his girlfriend, Michelle Kramer, celebrating her 30th birthday.
Kramer reportedly spoke to NBC to share,
"I put my hand on his side of the bed, and I remember feeling it empty."
Michelle was left behind with Mark's $6 million in debts that led her to bankruptcy while his father, Fred Weinberger, had already filed for bankruptcy, per a Vanity Fair report dated 2011. Fred had lent Mark a million dollars for the purchase of a CAT-scan machine.
Michelle Kramer reportedly shared that she believed he performed seven to fifteen operations and earned in the ballpark $200,000 (£124,000) weekly. Together, they lived a lavish lifestyle in the lakeside neighborhood of Chicago. His clinic, Weinberger Sinus Clinic, allegedly owed $5.7m in debt.
Their days of extravagance were cut short when the attorney representing Phyllis Barnes filed a complaint with the Indiana Department of Insurance in October 2002. It stated Mark's negligence in detecting her advanced-stage throat cancer. A second malpractice suit was filed on behalf of 25 patients, per The Guardian. With time, the lawsuits began to pile up and put pressure on Mark Weinberger.
Where was Mark Weinberger found hiding in Europe?
Mark Weinberger's case was featured on an episode of America's Most Wanted which led his Italian girlfriend, Monica, to turn him in. He had been on the run for five long years before he was apprehended in 2009. The Italian Police found Mark at a height of 6,000 feet up in the Italian Alps in December 2009, per NBC Chicago.
Weinberger had been living inside a tent on a mountainside surviving on water from molten ice and dried and canned food. The operation was conducted by two officers of the paramilitary Carabinieri along with a mountain guide who climbed the south slopes of Mont Blanc.
Weinberger had reportedly settled down in Courmayeur where he rode a bicycle and paid for services in cash. He lived a life of minimalism which was in contrast to the life he had led earlier.
Watch the new episode of Dateline: Secrets Uncovered as Mark Weinberger's case airs on Wednesday on Oxygen.
