The New York Department of Education redacted a portion of Richard Wessel's, MD, medical license application detailing his history of misconduct, claiming the publication of the information constituted an "unwarranted invasion of privacy," according to syracuse.com.
Here are five things to know:
1. Dr. Wessel, 59, was arrested in March and charged with stealing prescription medication from his patients at Canton-Potsdam Hospital in Potsdam, N.Y. He pleaded not guilty to the charges in April.
2. Dr. Wessel is currently under investigation by the New York State Department of Health Office of Professional Medical Conduct. The department suspended Dr. Wessel's medical license June 4 until officials complete the investigation.
3. Syracuse.com filed a request to obtain a copy of Dr. Wessel's 2014 medical license application for the state of New York. However, in the document sent to the publication, the state reportedly redacted Dr. Wessel's answer to whether his medical license had ever been suspended. The department claimed disclosure of his answer constituted an "unwarranted invasion of privacy" and may damage his reputation, according to the report.
4. Dr. Wessel's medical license had been suspended twice by the North Carolina Medical Board — once in 1999 after Dr. Wessel reportedly took blood from a patient's intravenous line and submitted it as his own for a blood alcohol test, and once in 2006 after Dr. Wessel tested positive for cocaine and hydrocodone use and improperly prescribed medication two years earlier, the report states.
5. New York granted Dr. Wessel his medical license in 2014. An agency representative told the publication they could not disclose whether the agency knew about his two prior license suspensions during the application process.
To access the full report, click here.