Passenger dragged off United Airlines was convicted of trading drugs
He is Dr David Dao, was one of four passengers asked to leave at random by the airline after they realized that the flight to Louisville from Chicago on Sunday was overbooked.
Three passengers left the plane with no issue but Dr Dao refused telling staff that he was doctor and needed to see his patients in the morning.
And the staff was then then forcibly removed him from the plane – to the shock of passengers on the plane and millions of people who have viewed the shocking video since.
Yet according to official documents, the Vietnamese-born medic has a troubled past of illicit gay sex with a patient and previously tested positive for drugs.
Back in 2005, Dr Dao was charged with 99 felony drug counts for illegally prescribing and trafficking painkillers and fraudulently filling prescriptions for hydocodone, Oxycontin and Percocet.
And was was also convicted on 6 felony counts of obtaining drugs by fraud and deceit and was given five years probation.
He was also found to have engaged in sex with a male patient and then supplied him with drugs in exchange for sexual favors.
In a secret sex meetings, which happened on occasions in hotel rooms, were recorded by undercover agents. Soon after, Dr. Dao surrendered his license to practice medicine in Kentucky.
Also in 2015, the medical board lifted the suspension and allowed him to practice medicine with some restrictions. He can now only practice internal medicine in an outpatient facility one day a week. His wife Teresa, 69, is a pediatrician and four of his five children are doctors. Dr Dao’s identity was revealed after United CEO Oscar Munoz defended his airline crew’s decision to remove him, claiming he was ‘disruptive and belligerent’.
Munoz issued a public apology saying he ‘apologised for having to re-accommodate these customers.’ Yet in a private email to staff, the CEO defended the crew’s actions, calling the passenger ‘disruptive and belligerent’ and praising his staff for going ‘above and beyond’.
But despite the medic’s past, people have defended him after seeing the 69-year-old being forcibly removed from the plane and bleeding heavily at the time.
In a statement, United Airlines said: ‘Flight 3411 from Chicago to Louisville was overbooked. After our team looked for volunteers, one customer refused to leave the aircraft voluntarily and law enforcement was asked to come to the gate.
‘We apologize for the overbook situation. Further details on the removed customer should be directed to authorities.’
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