COPS EYE TOM'S MEDICAL GURU
December 20, 2005 -- TOM Cruise's onetime alternative medicine consultant --- a "Church" of Scientology member and advocate --- is the subject of a six-month investigation by Los Angeles police, who are asking the district attorney to indict her and a colleague for fraud, grand theft and malpractice.
The LAPD's Health Authority Law Enforcement Task Force, which investigates illegal medical practices, presented its case against Scientologist Feline Butcher to the local DA for review yesterday. The findings involve liver cancer patient Clive McLean --- a veteran staff photographer for Hustler founder Larry Flynt --- who died in March at age 60 after receiving allegedly bogus "treatment" from the unfortunately named Butcher and an unlicensed physician to whom she had referred him, David Chua.
"We didn't at first know that she was a Scientologist, but then we heard that she made her employees take courses in it," Erica McLean, Clive's widow, tells PAGE SIX's Steve Garbarino. Neither McLean belonged to the "church."
"She said that Chua could cure my husband with these magic drops and potions and vitamin drips --- and this silly machine," Erica says. "We spent at least $150,000 on all this, and my husband's health was not improving. They told him to not take chemo-therapy, and so we didn't.
"I eventually threw [Chua] off our property when I realized we were being had, but he still was billing us for these magic pills," Erica says.
According to detectives, the alleged pill-purveyor vanished after hearing of the investigation. The LAPD task force's Sgt. Steve Opferman says, "The McLeans were led to believe that the man was a licensed practitioner." If indictments are handed up, Opferman said charges would include fraud, grand theft and malpractice against both Butcher and Chua.
Butcher could not be reached for comment, but has previously said the charges are unfounded. Greg LaClaire, vice president of the Scientologist's Celebrity Centre in Hollywood, said he was not familiar either with the case or with Butcher.
Meanwhile, this past weekend, Cruise and preggers Katie Holmes celebrated her 27th birthday in Miami, keeping the visibly exhausted Holmes out until 2:30 a.m. at the nightspot Snatch.
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