November trial on fraud charges set for former Indiana surgeon captured in Italy

Fraud trial set for Indiana doctor caught in Italy

HAMMOND, Ind. — A federal magistrate has scheduled a November trial for a former Indiana surgeon who was captured in Italy after five years on the run and extradited to face health care fraud charges.

The magistrate has ordered 46-year-old Mark Weinberger to stand trial beginning Nov. 9 in U.S. District Court in Hammond, Ind.

Authorities say Weinberger stabbed himself in the neck when he was arrested on a mountainside in Italy in December. The magistrate ruled last month that he was mentally competent to stand trial.

Weinberger formerly operated a nose and sinus clinic in Merrillville, Ind., where prosecutors say he billed insurers and patients for procedures he didn’t perform.