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Wellington's `Dr. Foot' arrested for allegedly practicing medicine without a license
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WELLINGTON -- Dr. Foot is out of business -- at least for now.
Joel S. Rubin, a 62-year-old Wellington man who held himself out as a podiatrist, was arrested Friday on suspicion of practicing medicine without a license and other charges, according to Palm Beach County sheriff's records.
Rubin, who identified himself as "Dr. Rubin" and circulated a flier calling himself "Dr. Foot," was arrested after an undercover sting operation and accused of offering podiatry out of his home in the upper-middle class Olympia community.
Rubin does not hold any medical licenses in the state, according to Florida Department of Health records.
Sheriff's spokesman Paul Miller said he was unaware of whether Rubin had any medical training.
The Web site for Rubin's industrial tape and packaging supply company, J.S.R. Sales Co., says he holds a master's degree in business administration and "also provides `dynamic' astrology services."
Deputies became suspicious after getting a complaint that Rubin was soliciting in his neighborhood with a flier that declared: "Your Feet Control Your Body" and "Your podiatrist is back, call Dr. Foot," according to a sheriff's report.
Rubin told an undercover female Florida Department of Health investigator who called him that "he picks and chooses his patients," according to the report.
"Rubin states that he can cure people that no one else can" with "Dr. Rubin's Remedy," investigators wrote. "Rubin stated that if she is a good patient, he will give her candy."
During a subsequent visit to his home and follow-up phone calls, Rubin told Department of Health investigator Michelle Miller that he could "provide anesthesia if she did not have a high tolerance for pain" during a procedure to remove ingrown toenails, foot fungus and a callous, the report said.
"Rubin stated that if she moved her foot during the procedure he will have to use an injection," a procedure he says is "less painful because he puts the needle into the nerve six times," according to the report.
The procedure would take about two hours and Miller's companion -- an undercover sheriff's investigator posing as her husband -- would not be allowed into the room, Rubin said, according to the report.
Rubin told a second undercover female investigator, Sherry Johnson, that "he was going to have to put needles into her feet" and also wanted to use "a special drill" to get under her toenail, according to the report.
"Rubin declined payment at the end of the visit, but stated that he would like Johnson to clean his residence in trade for his services," the report said.
Rubin allegedly told Miller that his patients "know to shut their mouths and not to bring in the police because if they do, he will deny everything."
Rubin's neighbors in the Olympia community tried to avoid him, said neighbor Jean Policard.
Rubin had conflicts with neighbors and often gossiped about the people around him, he said.
"He's not much liked by the people around here," Policard said. "He's a weird character sometimes."
By Rochelle E.B. Gilken
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Monday, December 19, 2005
WELLINGTON — Women say they allowed Joel Rubin to touch their feet because he was articulate and promised to cure their foot ailments.
They say they believed the man who lives in a nice house in upscale Olympia was "Dr. Foot" — a podiatrist with an unconventional way of healing.
One woman said she walked away with chronic leg pain. Another said she left with a creepy feeling and bleeding, mangled toe nails.
They didn't realize what was going on until the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office arrested Rubin on Oct. 7, charging him with practicing a health care profession without a license and advertising podiatric service without a license. Officials saw a flyer for his services and initially charged him for treating phony patients — undercover agents from the Department of Health.
Since Rubin's arrest, real victims came forward and Rubin is now charged with 10 felony counts of practicing without a license. Out on bail, Rubin had another run-in with the law. Last month, Royal Palm Beach Police cited him for allegedly shoplifting a manicure set from Wal-Mart.
He's back at his half-million dollar home in Olympia, awaiting a jury trial scheduled for Feb. 13. He says he's innocent.
"I've done something to their feet? They're full of (expletive). I gave them bread and bagels and that's it," Rubin said. "It is all bogus. I am not guilty. That is all I can say to you."
Rubin's lawyer, West Palm Beach's Alan Geesey, said he would not comment on his strategy in the upcoming case and whether Rubin's mental capacity would play a role. He added that he discouraged his client from talking to the media.
"Joel is a very unusual person," he said. State attorney's office spokesman Mike Edmondson said there are occasionally cases of people practicing a profession such as dentistry without a license, but neither he nor Geesey can recall a podiatry case.
For his part, Rubin says the charges against him come from a conspiracy between deputies and neighbors. He has a history of clashing with both. He suggests they're framing him because he is Jewish, or they're jealous of his money. He calls his critics Nazis.
Rubin said he's a snowbird from Long Island who moved in for the convenience of a one-story home and low homeowner fees. His house is filled with beautiful antiques and collectibles — an ornate pearl jewelry box, pool table, waist-high statues of the Blues Brothers, a juke box and Jewish-themed wall hangings and furniture. He claims his daily complement of jewelry is worth millions.
He keeps his garden nice. He has a drawer full of Pokemon toys he says he offers to neighborhood children.
Yet he talks incessantly, cusses at neighbors, complains about parking and reeks of cigarette smoke. He has a history of mental illness, and has been committed under the Baker Act, the sheriff's office said.
Dan Downing, who serves on the board of the homeowner's association for the neighborhood, said Rubin has been a constant source of irritation.
"He continues to badger and harass and threaten people with lawsuits. He is a source of stress in our community," Downing said. "He says preposterous things. People contemplated moving because of his irrational behaviors, insulting ways, his foul mouth."
The sheriff's office has detailed a litany of complaints.
On the first day they met, one neighbor told deputies Rubin introduced himself as a doctor and offered to work on her feet right there in her garage. When he massaged her feet, she says, he hit a nerve and she jumped up in pain. She brushed it off, vowed to never accept his offer for help again and figured the pain would go away. But she says her leg still feels weak for a moment when she stands up or sits down.
In another case, Melissa Rizzo said she had sore feet from years of dancing at the Cheetah nightclub. Rubin said he could help her. She hesitated, but agreed to go to his house.
"He was very believable. He had me snowed over. I'm a veteran. For him to snow me over, I was very embarrassed," she said.
He used a scalpel and clipped her toe nails short, then took out a Dremel tool.
"I thought he was gonna buff the top of my nails. He dug underneath the toenail. I'm like 'aaah' trying to pull my foot away. My toe starts bleeding because he dug my toe. It's raw. It's bleeding," Rizzo said. She hurriedly got out of there, but couldn't work for more than a week because she couldn't wear open-toe shoes.
"I felt totally skeeved. I haven't had a pedicure since. I don't want anyone messing with my feet," she said.
Rubin denies all this. He won't talk about the details, but says he practices astrology and does not pass himself off as a doctor. The village has cited him for operating a business out of his home, another charge he denies. His deceased father and brother both practiced podiatry, but Rubin says he doesn't talk to his family.
Still, he seems preoccupied with foot hazards.
"You know who you should be going after - you and the police? The pedicurists. They're using blades on you. They're using electric nail files and drills," he said.
He talks intelligently about a legitimate foot disease caused by poor circulation. He talks about swollen ankles and cold feet and lotions that help heal.
"You don't have to be a doctor to know that," he explains. He knows a lot about foot care, he says, for no reason other than this: "I'm Joel the psychic."
`Dr. Foot' arrested for allegedly practicing medicine without a license
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