Nigerian 419 Fraud

Psychiatrist lost $3m to Nigerian scam

02/03/2006 - (SA)

Santa Ana - A renowned psychiatrist lost up to $3m over 10 years to a Nigerian internet scam, his son alleges in a lawsuit.

Dr Louis A Gottschalk, an 89-year-old neuroscientist who works at the University of California, Irvine medical plaza that bears his name, acknowledged losing $900,000 to "some bad investments," according to court papers.

Guy Gottschalk filed a lawsuit last month asking a judge to remove his father as administrator of the family's $8m partnership. He alleges his father destroyed bank records to cover up his losses.

The younger Gottschalk claims in court papers he filed the suit to prevent his father from being further victimised.

Louis Gottschalk accuses his son in legal documents of carrying out an unspecified "vendetta" against him. Guy Gottschalk lost a bid last October to have a conservator oversee the family partnership, documents show.

Louis Gottschalk gained national prominence in 1987 by claiming that his studies of former President Ronald Reagan's speech patterns showed Reagan had been suffering from diminished mental ability as early as 1980.

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