Accused teen ‘doc’ gets 1 year on fraud charges

A judge in Virginia on Monday handed a 10-year prison sentence to the former teenager accused of illegally posing as a doctor in South Florida.

But Malachi Love-Robinson caught a big break as nine years of the term on two fraud charges were immediately suspended.

That means the now-20-year-old man — after serving what amounts to a one-year sentence — should return to Palm Beach County this summer to face prosecution on 14 felony charges.

Love-Robinson has been in custody since his arrest Sept. 9, after he allegedly tried to buy a $35,000 Jaguar from a car dealership about 50 miles south of Washington, D.C. Authorities said he used a 73-year-old woman’s personal information.

Rather than stand trial in March, Love-Robinson pleaded guilty to one count of false statement to obtain credit, and a forgery-type charge called uttering.

In exchange for the plea, prosecutors in Stafford County dropped two other counts: attempt to commit identity theft; and attempt to obtain money under false pretenses.

Circuit Judge Charles Sharp advised Love-Robinson to stay out of trouble, as the sentence requires 10 years of “good behavior.” Any new arrests could result in a lengthy prison sentence, according to court officials.

Love-Robinson, who had been free on a $26,000 Palm Beach County bond at the time of his arrest in northern Virginia, wasn’t accused of passing himself off as a licensed doctor there.

Authorities say the West Palm Beach resident used his godmother’s name on a car loan application without permission, used her Social Security number, and used her credit card without her knowledge to buy iPads and a cellphone for $1,200.

Love-Robinson told deputies he was in town to buy vehicles for himself and his godmother, according to a news release from the local sheriff ’s office.

Defense attorney George Marzloff could not be reached for comment by telephone Monday.

In Palm Beach County, LoveRobinson is charged with crimes punishable by up to 90 years in state prison.

Prosecutors say he portrayed himself as a doctor in a West Palm Beach clinic and on house calls, wearing a white lab coat and stethoscope and holding fraudulent diplomas as part of the scam.

He’s also accused of stealing personal checks from a sick woman, among other offenses dating to spring 2015.

Love-Robinson has pleaded not guilty to charges that include practicing medicine without a license, practice of naturopathy without a license, and grand theft.

In media interviews last year, he denied any wrongdoing, calling himself a doctor of homeopathic medicine and a health care practitioner specializing in natural treatments. He also said he was “deeply saddened and a little disrespected” by the accusations.

One of the allegations is that Love-Robinson stole personal checks from an 86-year-old West Palm Beach woman he was seeing about her severe intestinal pain.

Prosecutors say Love-Robinson drained the woman’s checking account to make $34,504 in payments — for his credit cards and Nissan car loans.

A status hearing on all of the charges is set for June 21.

Love-Robinson