A former doctor who pleaded guilty to identity theft in using another physician’s signature to recommend medical marijuana at dispensaries in Pacific Beach and on Midway Drive has been placed on five years’ probation.
Nelson Leone, 73, a North Park resident, was ordered to pay $100 in a penalty assessment by U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey Miller in San Diego. The U.S. Attorney’s Office recommended probation, and no jail time was imposed.
Leone’s medical license was revoked in 1995 by the Medical Board of California. He was hired by Green Cross Evaluations, but the company terminated him in 2014, according to a letter Green Cross sent the judge.
Leone pleaded guilty to using the physician license number and signature of another doctor employed by Green Cross Evaluations. At the time, Leone was working out of several medical marijuana shops in Pacific Beach and on Midway Drive, in Mission Valley and elsewhere.
Leone could have been sentenced to five years in federal prison and subject to a $250,000 fine. He was charged after an undercover officer visited the Midway Drive clinic where he worked and obtained the medical marijuana recommendation with the other doctor’s identification, according to court records.