Alleged fake doctor says he’s too sick to survive in jail

Rick Van Thiel, an alleged phony doctor prosecutors say could have killed three people who sought treatment from him, complained Monday that he wasn't getting attention behind bars for an ailment he was able to treat himself while out of custody.

Van Thiel told District Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez that he did not expect to live to his next scheduled court date a month away.

He said he was suffering from what's referred to as Morgellons disease, described by the Mayo Clinic as "an uncommon, unexplained skin disorder characterized by sores, crawling sensations on and under the skin, and fiber-like filaments emerging from the sores."

Van Thiel, who is being held on $500,000 bail, faces two counts of being an ex-felon in possession of a firearm, but prosecutors say that he could be charged with sexual assault and murder, among other counts.

He has five prior felony convictions, including robbery, assault with a firearm and burglary.

In a somewhat unusual exchange for an otherwise procedural hearing, Van Thiel addressed the judge directly.

"Have I done anything here worth killing me over, in your opinion?" he asked.

The judge told him the firearm charges do not carry the death penalty.

"OK. Well I have a big problem here," Van Thiel responded. "I'm not going to survive in that jail much longer. I'm going downhill very fast. There's a treatment protocol that I need to be on... I was in perfect shape 40 days ago. I'm pretty far down now. I'm not going to make it much longer."

Public defender Scott Coffee noted that Van Thiel had visible rashes.

Gonzalez said there was nothing she could do without reviewing medical records.

Outside of court, Coffee said "there's no question his medical condition has deteriorated."

The Mayo Clinic's website calls the disease "mysterious and controversial," and it is not recognized by the American Academy of Dermatology or the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

In 2012, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention published a study on the "unexplained dermopathy," analyzing 115 patients in California who complained of the disease.

"We were not able to conclude based on this study whether this unexplained dermopathy represents a new condition, as has been proposed by those who use the term Morgellons, or wider recognition of an existing condition such as delusional infestation, with which it shares a number of clinical and epidemiologic features," the report stated.

It could be months before the more serious charges against Van Thiel are handed down. Prosecutors have said they intend to present their evidence to a grand jury and try those charges separately.

Prosecutors said three people Van Thiel persuaded to stop taking antiviral medication had died. As recently as September, a woman who had an abortion had gone to Van Thiel and he performed sexual acts on her, according to prosecutors.

At his latest hearing, Coffee also said Van Thiel was concerned about the "court's jurisdiction over him."

Prosecutors have maintained that, as a self-proclaimed sovereign citizen, Van Thiel is a flight risk and a danger to the community.

Van Thiel would watch up to 50 YouTube videos in order to learn procedures about how to treat women who have had miscarriages, or perform abortions, circumcisions, cancer treatment and HIV treatment, according to prosecutor Michelle Fleck.

The 52 year old kept records on more than 80 so-called "patients" who could potentially be victims. His practice, based at residential property near the intersection of Owens Avenue and Nellis Boulevard, was shut down last month after Las Vegas police and FBI agents executed a search warrant on the property.

Contact David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Find him on Twitter: @randompoker