Phony Psychiatrist Handed 13-Year Prison Sentence by Federal Judge: COURT

CHICAGO — An Indiana man who practiced psychiatry without a license was sentenced to more than 13 years in federal prison for posing as a psychiatrist.

Scott Curtis Redman, 37, of Hammond, Ind., was convicted of using the identity of an Illinois physician to see patients and prescribe medications to a 9-year-old child and dozens of others at a clinic on Chicago’s Near North Side. The real physician is employed by a different Illinois medical facility, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.

Before he was accused of posing as a psychiatrist in Chicago, Redman reportedly offered psychotherapy services from various offices in the south suburbs, including Oak Lawn, Oak Forest, Tinley Park. and in South Holland, while posing as a psychologist. To entice prospective clients to his south suburban clinics, prosecutors claimed Redman offered Groupon discount coupons.

RELATED: Fake Psychotherapist's Charges Upgraded to Felonies for Violating Court Supervision: Prosecutor

One of those clinics, Catharsis Clinical Services, was closed down by Oak Lawn police. He also allegedly ran a similarly named clinic, Catharsis Family Services, in Oak Forest. Redman pleaded guilty in October 2015 in a Cook County court to a misdemeanor charge of practicing psychological therapy without a license before Judge Thomas O’Hara in Markham. He received a sentence of one year’s court supervision with special conditions that he was not to represent himself as a psychologist.

When Redman purportedly defied the Cook County judge’s special conditions by continuing to provide psychological services, the state charges were upgraded to felonies. He was also brought up on federal charges in February 2016 when the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said he prescribed 71 controlled substance prescriptions to 44 different individuals from Dec. 10, 2015 to Jan. 30, 2016 in Chicago.

According to the federal complaint, Redman assumed the physician’s name to prescribe medications to more than 50 individuals between September 2015 to February 2016. The purported patients included a nine-year-old child, for whom Redman prescribed a 30-day supply of Vyvanse, a medication that treats attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

“He preyed upon an already vulnerable population of patients, including a nine-year old little boy, who were seeking mental health treatment for a variety of psychiatric conditions,” Durick argued.

Evidence presented at trial revealed that Redman maintained office hours at the clinic to treat his supposed patients at a Near North clinic in Chicago. A purported profile of Redman on the clinic’s website contained the name of the real physician, alongside a photograph of Redman, containing fake biographical and educational information. In addition to the Vyvanse, Redman allegedly prescribed other controlled substances to his supposed patients, including Adderall, Clonazepam and Xanax, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

U.S. District Judge Samuel Der-Yeghiayan imposed the 157-month sentence in federal court in Chicago.