Martin, Douglas |
| http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071222/LOCAL03/712220325/1002/LOCAL click link for the rest of the story Published: December 22, 2007 6:00 a.m. ‘Surgeon' cooks up storied past to con women, feds say By Rebecca S. GreenThe Journal Gazette
Martin’s résumé
According to court documents, Douglas Martin claimed the following in the résumé submitted to the Fort Wayne VA Medical Center (all spellings are Martin’s): • Trauma surgeon in Albuquerque • Vascular surgeon at the Mayo Clinic • Flight surgeon for the Tomcat wing of the U.S. Navy Medical Corp. • Served in Vietnam for 18 months as a surgeon • Has a master’s degree in public health from the University of Massachusetts • Graduate from medical school at “John” Hopkins University • Was awarded the following military honors – Navy Cross (in lieu of the Medal of Honor), Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross • Is an Army basic parachutist Source: Federal court documents
Online Romeo admits to fraud By Rebecca S. Green The Journal Gazette An Albuquerque, N.M., man accused of concocting an elaborate identity as a decorated veteran and gifted trauma surgeon to con a Fort Wayne woman has admitted to being a fraud. In December, a federal grand jury indicted Douglas Martin, 58, on one count of making false statements and a second count of wire fraud. Martin pleaded guilty to the charges this week and will be sentenced in April. He faces up to 25 years in prison and more than $250,000 in fines. The identity Martin created for himself, to steal money from a Fort Wayne woman he met through an online dating service, was impressive, at least on paper: multidisciplinary surgeon, military veteran decorated with such honors as the Navy Cross and the Legion of Merit, and graduate of the University of London. Two weeks after Martin met the woman, he asked her to marry him and move to South Carolina. She said she couldn't leave Fort Wayne, so he agreed to get a job in the area, even going so far as to interview at the Fort Wayne VA Medical Center in October. But as doctors there began the credentialing process, Martin's story began unraveling quickly, particularly after it was discovered Martin presented similar false credentials at a VA Medical Center in New Mexico. Further investigation revealed Martin had never served in any branch of the U.S. military, either active duty or in a reserve capacity, according to court documents. In early November, after his VA interview, Martin told the woman that intruders broke into his house, burglarized a safe and stole medical research, medications and biohazardous materials. He had to freeze his bank accounts, he said, so he needed her to lend him some money, $700, until his accounts were secure. She did, and he asked for her bank account number so he could put the money back. She declined, even though he asked about four times, and told him to mail her a check. Court documents reveal she has seen none of the money. Albuquerque police said they were investigating Martin for the theft of $60,000 from a woman this year in a similar scheme - met online, posed as a military officer and doctor. "When the victim checked the balance on the account sometime later she discovered the balance to be near $0.00," one investigator wrote. The local VA doctors, at the urging of investigators, kept talking to Martin, asking him to fly to Fort Wayne for a credentialing interview in mid-December. When he did, Martin was arrested. rgreen@jg.net
Published: November 4, 2008 6:00 a.m.
Lying Romeo gets year in prisonRebecca S. GreenThe Journal GazetteAn admitted con man from Albuquerque, N.M., had nothing to say for himself Monday morning when he was sentenced in a federal courtroom. Douglas Martin, 59, pleaded guilty in February to charges of making false statements and wire fraud. He faced up to 25 years in prison and more than $200,000 in fines, but under federal guidelines, Martin was sentenced to 12 months in prison. Having been in the Allen County Jail since his December arrest, Martin will be given credit for his time behind bars and should be released later this month. U.S. District Judge William C. Lee also sentenced Martin to three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay more than $42,700 in restitution. Martin was arrested at the Fort Wayne International Airport in mid-December after he concocted a seemingly unbelievable résumé in order to steal money from a Fort Wayne woman he met through an online dating service. The résumé included claims that Martin was a multidisciplinary surgeon; a military veteran decorated with such honors as the Navy Cross and the Legion of Merit; and a graduate of the University of London, according to court documents. Within weeks of meeting the woman, Martin asked her to marry him. When she said she couldn’t leave Fort Wayne, Martin said he’d get a job here, going so far as to schedule an interview with the Fort Wayne VA Medical Center last October. But as doctors there began the credentialing process, Martin’s story began unraveling, particularly after it was discovered that Martin had presented similar false credentials at a VA Medical Center in New Mexico. Further investigation revealed Martin had never served in any branch of the U.S. military, either active duty or in a reserve capacity, according to court documents. Shortly after his VA interview in November, Martin told the woman that intruders broke into his house, burglarized a safe and stole medical research, medications and biohazardous materials. He had to freeze his bank accounts, he said, so he needed her to lend him some money, $700, until his accounts were secure. She did, and he asked for her bank account number so he could put the money back. She declined, even though he asked about four times, and told him to mail her a check. The local VA doctors, at the urging of investigators, kept talking to Martin, asking him to fly to Fort Wayne for a credentialing interview in mid-December. When he did, Martin was arrested. Albuquerque police were investigating Martin in the theft of $60,000 from another woman last year in a similar scheme. It was unclear whether Martin has been charged in that case. The Fort Wayne woman Martin tried to con was present in the courtroom Monday but declined to speak after the sentencing. |