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Fake Doctor: Man accused of impersonating doctor at San Diego hospital

A man arrested in the doctor's lounge at Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa after claiming to be an anesthesiologist pleaded not guilty Friday to a felony charge of treating the sick without a cer...

EL CAJON (NEWS 8) - A man arrested in the doctor's lounge at Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa after claiming to be an anesthesiologist pleaded not guilty Friday to a felony charge of treating the sick without a certificate.

Zaid Bassam Jeorge, 27, faces three years in prison if convicted. A judge increased his bail from $25,000 to $100,000.

Jeorge -- dressed in blue scrubs and wearing a white doctor's coat with his name on it -- was taken into custody Jan. 11.

Officials said Jeorge had no credentials and gave the name of a doctor who was supposedly sponsoring him, but the doctor denied it, saying Jeorge might have latched onto him after the doctor accepted a connection request from the defendant on LinkedIn.

Jeorge's LinkedIn profile said he was a graduate of Harvard Medical School and had been a doctor at Sharp for more than a year.

"While Mr. Jeorge's unauthorized presence on our campus was of great concern to us, we are pleased that we have no evidence of patient interaction or access to patient information," Sharp HealthCare said in a statement. "We are also continuing to evaluate this event and reinforcing and enhancing Sharp HealthCare's security measures. Increased emphasis is being placed on badge identification and caution in responding to social media messaging."

Jeorge will be back in court Jan. 29 for a readiness conference and Feb. 21 for a preliminary hearing.

Sharp HealthCare's released the following statement: 

Sharp HealthCare extends its gratitude to local and federal law enforcement agencies for their work on this case.  While Mr. Jeorge's unauthorized presence on our campus was of great concern to us, we are pleased that we have no evidence of patient interaction or access to patient information.  We are also continuing to evaluate this event and reinforcing and enhancing Sharp HealthCare's security measures.  Increased emphasis is being placed on badge identification and caution in responding to social media messaging.  

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