ABU DHABI // Steven Moos, a conman jailed in Dubai for impersonating a top Hollywood plastic surgeon and performing operations on his kitchen table, is back in the United States and was due to appear in court this morning.
The 41-year-old was arrested in February when police caught him impersonating Dr Steven Hopping and performing invasive cosmetic procedures without a licence. He was convicted of forgery and illegal practice in April and sentenced to two months in prison.
In August he was found guilty of endangering life and causing accidental injury and sentenced to a further five months. The Portland Field Office of the FBI confirmed that Moos arrived on a flight from Dubai on Wednesday.
"The FBI agents transported Moos back to Portland on Wednesday afternoon and he is currently booked into the Multnomah County Jail. He will make his initial appearance before a federal magistrate on Thursday ... at the US District Courthouse in Portland."
Portland is 11 hours behind the UAE. Moos had been a fugitive from US justice since July 2004 when a jury indicted him on four counts of medical fraud. These included two counts of misbranding medication and one count of making false statements to the government. A former Dubai-based patient of Moos said last night she was "fuming" that he was no longer in the UAE. "My case was all ready to go," she said.
"I was told by the public prosecutor just to wait for a date. I wanted to face him in court. I can't believe he has gone. This was never about the money but I wanted him to pay."
The Romanian woman, who works in the fashion industry, was left disfigured after a number of botched lip procedures. She said she had been forced to pay for more reconstructive treatment to fix the damage done by Moos. The real Dr Hopping visits Dubai three or four times a year to perform surgery at the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery Hospital in Dubai Healthcare City.
Dr Hopping described the events as a "travesty" yesterday, and said he would be travelling to Dubai next week to continue working with some of Moos' victims. He said he had not been informed that the bogus doctor would be returning to the US. "At this time we have no plans for any legal action" he said, "although my attorneys are still reviewing the case." When Moos was arrested in February police learnt he was wanted by the FBI and Interpol for crimes dating back six years.
It is not clear when he moved to the UAE but police admitted he had previously been arrested in Sharjah and released on bail. He continued to pass himself off as Dr Hopping and was believed to have treated more than 100 patients.