Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- A Utah man's family claimed he underwent painful stem cell procedures by unlicensed practitioner Randy Relyea.
- Relyea was charged with fraud and unlawful practice; the family lost $6,000 on ineffective treatments.
- KSL's legal analyst advises potential victims to contact authorities; statute limitations may not apply if the scheme is ongoing.
SALT LAKE CITY — The family of a Utah man who battled cancer said he underwent painful stem cell procedures performed by a man now charged with fraud and unlawful practice.
Jodi McCoy said she recognized Randy Relyea's name and office after seeing recent KSL reporting. The Utah Attorney General's Office filed charges against the former surgeon, his wife and his partner.
She said she and her son, Ethan Van, visited Relyea's office near Lone Peak Hospital a few years ago while Van was battling cancer.
"He was getting a lot of chemotherapy, and a lot of steroids that could cause avascular necrosis, which is … the lack of blood supply going to the bones," McCoy said. "Those tiny breaks in his bones. And so we had to do transplants."
McCoy said they were promised an alternative treatment that would help rebuild cells in Van's joints.
Believing Relyea was a licensed doctor, Van underwent multiple procedures over the course of a few months.
"It was painful," McCoy said. "And after a good amount of time, he didn't want to go back because it was hurting."
This week, McCoy learned Relyea's medical license had been revoked. The Utah Attorney General's Office charged Relyea, his wife and his partner, Dr. Paul Winterton, with unlawful activity.
McCoy said her family lost $6,000 on treatments she believed were legitimate but ended up being ineffective. She suspects other families may have similar stories.
Legal analyst Greg Skordas said anyone who thinks they may have been a victim should contact authorities. He said the statute of limitations may not apply if the alleged scheme is ongoing.
"If the government has a case right now and they have defined victims and they've made charges with respect to those victims, but they later learned that there are others they can add to the charges, they can file more charges, or they can just bring them in for what they call restitution just to make sure that they're covered if there's ultimately a conviction at the end of the day," Skordas said.
McCoy said the experience caused her son pain then, and her family feels the pain now.
"I don't understand how he could take money from people when you're not licensed to do the treatment," McCoy said.
