A Tucson construction worker who claims he can cure gynecological cancers by treating women with ozone was found guilty of practicing without a license, a misdemeanor, Friday, but the jury deadlocked on whether he was guilty of the felony fraud and illegally conducting an enterprise charges.
Robert Ray White, 50, will learn on Oct. 9 if the Arizona Attorney General's Office will take him to trial a second time.
White, who was also convicted of possession of methamphetamine and cocaine Friday, will be sentenced Oct. 24. He is eligible for probation.
White was indicted two years ago after he told an undercover FBI agent he could cure her of uterine cancer by inserting ozone, a deadly gas, into her body through a catheter. He told her he charged $25 for detox treatments and $40 for every ozone session.
The undercover agent went to White's east-side home after learning one of White's patients may have been injured during an ozone session.
White was indicted in December 2010 on aggravated assault, fraud, illegally conducting an enterprise, practicing without a license, possession of drugs and misconduct involving weapons charges. Pima County Superior Court Judge Deborah Bernini dismissed the assault and weapons charges before the case went to the jury.
Dr. Michael Bookman testified he is not aware of any Food and Drug Administration studies on ozone therapy.
However, the doctor, who is the director of the hematology/oncology section of the University of Arizona Cancer Center and UA College of Medicine, told jurors inserting ozone vaginally could cause tissue irritation and inflammation. The inflammation could then result in a buildup of scar tissue and other problems.
A wrongly inserted catheter could cause the gas to invade the abdominal cavity and spread farther or perforate organs, Bookman said. An unsterilized catheter could cause infection.
Jamie Hartland, Nilda Arias, Linda Hernandez and Leslie Longway, all friends of White's, testified they received ozone therapy at White's home at his urging and after having researched it on the Internet.
Hartland said the ozone helped ease her menstrual cramps, Hernandez claimed it cured her of Lyme disease, and Arias said it helped her conceive. Longway testified ozone helped her purge a cyst and avoid a hysterectomy.
On StarNet: Follow the news at Pima County's courthouses in Kim Smith's blog, At the Courthouse, at azstarnet.com/courthouse
Contact reporter Kim Smith at 573-4241 or kimsmith@azstarnet.com
Please Wait…