Nicholas Bachynsky | |
---|---|
Born | Russia |
Occupation | Doctor |
Known for | DNP weight loss scheme |
Criminal charge | Drug law violations, fraud |
Details | |
Victims | 14,000 patients |
Country | United States |
State(s) | Texas |
Killed | 1 |
Nicholas Bachynsky is a Russian-born American former doctor and convicted fraudster. In the 1980s, he ran a weight loss clinic in Texas where he provided the unlicensed drug 2,4-Dinitrophenol (DNP) to patients under the name "Mitcal"; court filings reported that he had treated 14,000 people with the drug. Many reported adverse effects. After one patient died of an overdose in 1984, Bachynsky was convicted and fined for violating drug laws. Despite this, he continued to dispense DNP. In 2008, he was convicted of fraud for his role in a scheme to sell DNP. [1] [2]