Ohio Doctor Charged with Plotting to Kill One Attorney, Frame Another
FBI agents of the agency’s Cleveland Division arrested a local doctor in late August on charges of conspiracy and attempted possession relating to a revenge plot almost too ridiculous to believe. The criminal complaint accuses Dr. Daniel Schwarz of plotting to kill opposing counsel from a lawsuit that cost Schwarz $60,000 and, to top it off, he planned to frame his own lawyer for the crime.
It seems like a simple bad review would have sufficed.
Patient Reports Doctor’s Murder Plot
The FBI’s cooperating witness, a drug addict treated by Schwarz, told authorities the doctor discussed plans to kill or drug attorney Michael David McCulloch – and even asked her to buy him a gun with a silencer. He also allegedly planned to frame one of his own attorneys from the case, Robert Meisner, by planting fentanyl in his vehicle.
Perhaps Schwarz believed doctor-patient privilege went both ways.
The patient spoke to McCulloch, telling him that Schwarz had been grooming her to attack or frame him. By that time, she had already told Lima police that Schwarz offered her $2,000 to participate in the plot against McCulloch and Meisner.
A Plan Fit for the Movies
In a sting coordinated by the FBI, the patient gave Schwarz a substance that appeared to be fentanyl, and the two discussed drugging McCulloch with both fentanyl and heroin. Agents arrested Schwarz outside a gas station shortly after the meeting. According to the FBI’s complaint, Schwarz admitted to fantasizing about kidnapping and torturing the two attorneys, comparing his thoughts to scenes from Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs.
For now, Dr. Schwarz’s medical and controlled substance licenses remain active. He remains in the Lucas County Jail.
Related Resources:
- Looking to Grow Your Marijuana Practice? Do Not Do What This Attorney Did (FindLaw’s Strategist)
- What Legal Responsibilities Do Online Platforms Have for Curbing Violent Rhetoric? (FindLaw’s Second Circuit)
- Breakup of N.Y. Personal Injury Firm Inspires Off-Broadway Play (FindLaw’s Legally Weird)