Trial Date Set in Fake Doctor Case

A 75-year-old Downers Grove man accused of pretending to be a doctor will go before a jury in a trial scheduled for January.

Eugene Miller, of the 5100 block of Blodgett Avenue, has pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of practicing medicine without a license, theft and telling others he was a doctor.

Arrested in November, Miller remains free on $100,000 bail on conditions that limit who can come into his home and that he does not possess any medical equipment. His trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 24.

Prosecutors allege Miller told a local woman he was a doctor able to treat her depression, anxiety and vomiting without the use of drugs or other medical procedures, prosecutors allege.

Downers Grove police said Miller has never held medical certification and does not have a background in the profession. The latest incident appears to be the result of word of mouth about Miller given the woman is a "resident who lived nearby." Miller lives in a condo, which is where he allegedly treated patients, police previously said.

In 2005, Miller pleaded guilty to the same unlicensed practice of medicine charges, as well as a theft count. He was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison and 30 months probation, which ended satisfactorily in June 2008.

A grand jury indicted Miller on dozens of counts, including a sex abuse charge that was later dropped in a plea agreement, after victims claimed Miller took thousands of dollars from them while saying he had alternative cures for diabetes and cancer.

Miller's methods included the use of magnets and attaching his patients to machines, court records from the 2005 case state.