Fake Doctor, 81, Offered Door-to-Door Breast Exams
The Fort Lauderdale area is aflutter with news that Phillip Winikoff has reached a deal with local prosecutors.
The 81-year-old man allegedly posed as a doctor and offered door-to-door breast exams at a local apartment complex. Two women accepted his offer, but eventually realized something was amiss.
It was ultimately Winikoff's wandering hands that destroyed the ruse.
And what a ruse it was. When police caught up with Winikoff on that fateful April 2006 day, they found him carrying a little black doctor's bag. The local Women's Breast Health Initiative was also going door-to-door that week, reports the Sun Sentinel.
They were registering women for real mammograms.
Prosecutors whipped out the big guns when it came time to charge Phillip Winikoff for the door-to-door breast exam scheme. He was charged with:
- 3 counts of sexual battery
- 2 counts of practicing medicine without a license
- 2 counts of simple battery
- 1 count of using the title of doctor without a license
If convicted of all counts, the Sun Sentinel reports he could have faced over 45 years in prison.
No one is exactly sure what the plea deal contains, as the judge had to reschedule. But chances are Winikoff will face minimal jail time because of his age.
However, he is still likely to be subject to a number of restrictions. A conviction would have resulted in registration on the state's sex offender list. Registration could be part of the plea deal. If not, Winikoff may have agreed to follow limitations placed on actual registrants.
Whatever its terms, the plea deal is probably designed to keep Phillip Winikoff away from vulnerable populations. Prosecutors will want to prevent another round of door-to-door breast exams.
Related Resources:
- 81 Year Old Phillip Winikoff Accused of Assaulting Women During Fake Breast Exams Reaches Plea Deal (WPBF)
- Sexual Assault (FindLaw)
- Fake Doctor Gives Breast Exams in Bars (FindLaw Blotter)