California cheater for years pretended to be a psychologist and healed children in New York

Parents of “difficult” children understand how important it is for a competent professional psychologist to work with their child. Therefore, many were shocked by the fact that in New York, a 60-year-old man falsified his documents and posed as a psychologist, treating children with problematic conditions.

Фото: Depositphotos

At first glance, Glenn Payne, 60, might seem to fit the bill—he claimed to be a neuropsychologist with advanced degrees from UCLA, affiliations with two Brooklyn hospitals, and years of experience, he writes. Yahoo.

But it all turned out to be a lie, Brooklyn County Attorney said.

According to prosecutors, for at least six years, Payne provided children with therapy without the right to do so. His diplomas were fake, and in the hospitals there were no records of communication with this person. Despite the practice of clinical psychology, he did not have a license for such activities in either New York or California.

On September 23, the Brooklyn Payne Supreme Court formally charged 55 items: the main ones were that he pretended to be a licensed psychologist and treated at least 12 people, including children who were described as “problematic,” from June 2012 to May 2018 of the year.

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A statement from Brooklyn district attorney Eric Gonzalez said that "the alleged conduct in this case is really outrageous and potentially threatens vulnerable people."

“It is inconceivable that anyone would put patients, including children, at risk by pretending to be qualified to diagnose and treat,” Gonzalez said.

Payne himself and his 46-year-old partner, Vernett Tobier-Desir, were charged with conspiracy and theft of more than 30 000 dollars from their patients. The charges included theft on a large scale, unauthorized professional practices and fraud, as well as six counts of threats to children.

Payne and Tobier-Desir, who have two children together, pleaded not guilty on all 55 counts.

“I think sometimes people see the scope of the charges and jump to conclusions,” said defense attorney Michael Chessa. “I really think Mr. Payne will be acquitted.”

On his LinkedIn profile, cited in the indictment, Payne claimed to have been in private practice since 2011, with a master's degree in public health and a doctorate in psychology (which he wrote incorrectly). He told investigators that he was a doctor with "alternative education in the form of home schooling."

According to the lawyer, none of Payne's patients were hospitalized or physically harmed. Some patients loved this “doctor” and his methods of treatment.

But there were those whose therapy sessions aroused suspicion. According to witnesses, Payne often talked about his life and did not ask patients about themselves. He also repeated exercises and work patterns in some sessions, giving patients the impression that he no longer had ideas for treatment.

Payne and Tobier-Desir worked in three places: the main office in a large building in Brooklyn Heights, the smaller building in Prospect Lefferts Gardens and the offices of a non-profit organization located in the Kings County Hospital Center, one of the hospitals with which Payne, according to his According to was connected.

According to the indictment, patients were referred to Payne by their doctors or friends, although it remains unclear how he managed to build his professional network of contacts. Typically, patients scheduled appointments by email or phone with Tobier-Desir, who served as office manager. Payne did not take out insurance; patients had to pay in cash or by wire transfer.

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When some of Payne's patients, wanting to compensate for his services outside the network through their insurance companies, asked Tobier-Desir for license information, she refused to provide the data.

In a statement, Tobier-Desir's lawyers suggested that she was not responsible for Payne's fraud.

“It appears that she herself was the victim of a person she trusted and had a relationship with,” they wrote.

According to the indictment, Payne's patients included a "troubled" teenager on probation. Payne has filed court papers on his own behalf with the city's probation department on multiple occasions. The department's general counsel, Wayne McKenzie, said Payne had already treated the patient before he was placed on probation. The department typically does not select an expert or pay when courts order psychological services, he added.

Prosecutors began interrogating some of Payne's patients in April 2018. At about the same time, according to a spokesperson, Payne fled New York by taking a pseudonym and changing his phone numbers and bank accounts. He spent time in Las Vegas before heading to Los Angeles, where he was arrested and extradited. Payne's lawyer claims that the pseudo-psychologist left New York for "family reasons."

Payne was offered to bail the guarantor in 100 000 dollars or on his own bail in 50 000 dollars, but as of September 28 he was in custody. Tobier-Desir was brought to justice in January and released.

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