Woman gets 33 months in ALS fraud case
 

Woman gets 33 months in ALS fraud case
By MADELAINE VITALE Staff Writer, 609-272-7218
Published: Thursday, December 13, 2007


A federal judge sentenced a Galloway Township woman Wednesday to 33 months in prison for conspiring with Dr. Charlene DeMarco, who purported to be able to "cure" amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, to defraud patients and their families, U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie said.
U.S. District Judge Joseph Rodriguez also ordered Elizabeth Lerner, 40, aka "Elizabeth Copperman," to make restitution to victims in the amount of $35,390 and to pay a $7,500 fine. Rodriguez continued Lerner's release with electronic monitoring pending her surrender to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons on Jan. 17.

On Dec. 8, 2006, a jury in federal court convicted Lerner and DeMarco, 55, a doctor of osteopathy with a practice and residence in Galloway Township whose license is suspended, of all 11 charges in the indictment. The defendants were both convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, three counts of mail fraud, six counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering.

On Sept. 5, Rodriguez sentenced DeMarco to 57 months in federal prison and ordered her to make restitution to victims in the amount of $32,190 and to pay a $7,500 fine.

On March 30, 2006, the defendants were arrested by special agents of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations, on the indictment, which was returned March 29.



The jury found that from October 2002 until November 2004, DeMarco and Lerner agreed with each other to defraud ALS patients and their families, promised cures, and took payments for treatments that were never done. There is no cure for ALS, which is commonly referred to as "Lou Gehrig's disease."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugenia A.P. Cowles prosecuted the case. Lerner was represented by attorney Linda Friedman Ramirez, whose practice is in Florida.
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