The squealing man dragged off the United Airlines flight Sunday may have other things to scream about now that he’s been identified — as a drug and possible sex offender.
Dr. David Dao, 69, who refused to give up his seat on the overbooked flight, was arrested in 2003 and “eventually convicted of drug-related offenses after an undercover investigation, according to documents filed with the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure last June,” says the Louisville Courier-Journal.
“The documents allege that he was involved in fraudulent prescriptions for controlled substances and was sexually involved with a patient who used to work for his practice and assisted police in building a case against him,” the paper said.
Dao attended medical school in Vietnam in the 1970s before moving to America and landing in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, as a pulmonologist.
“Dao was convicted of multiple felony counts of obtaining drugs by fraud or deceit in November 2004 and was placed on five years of supervised probation in January 2005,” the paper said.
Although he gave up his medical license in 2005, the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure permitted Dao to resume practicing medicine in 2015 under certain conditions, the paper said.
NEW: CNBC has just received statement on behalf of United Airlines Passenger Dr. David Dao pic.twitter.com/IgF0gGPls3
— Steve Kopack (@SteveKopack) April 11, 2017
The Daily Mail piled on with its own story.
Dao “was also found to have in engaged in sex with a male patient — Brian Case, who he knew from the church they both attended — and then supplied him with drugs, including Oxycontin, in exchange for sexual favors,” the British paper said.
“The sexual liaisons, which happened motel rooms, were recorded by undercover agents. He paid $200 in cash each time he met Case. Case said he believed that Dr. Dao wanted to hook him on drugs so he would keep meeting him for gay sex.”
Then came the reaction to the sex stories.
david dao’s past has no relevance to the literal physical abuse he received. this headline is trash https://t.co/WDPEA7NmB1
— #1 kimberly hater (@apunkgrl) April 11, 2017
Can’t help but wonder what irrelevant event in my past would be used against me if I was beaten up on a United flight #DrDao #DavidDao
— Jake, Esq. (@balooko31) April 11, 2017
The @courierjournal‘s hit piece on David Dao (#United) is the system’s usual response when it is caught in unjust acts against minorities
— Jacqueline Simonds (@GrumpyDem) April 11, 2017
Dear journalists doing oppo reporting on Dr David Dao, you are horrible. Editors who assigned you are worse.
— PastryPlate (@PastryPlate) April 11, 2017
@Lee_in_Iowa PS The guy thrown off the plane is David Thanh Duc dao.
The convicted man’s name is David Anh duy dao.— Steve Brown (@SGBR0WN) April 11, 2017
I don’t care what David Dao did in his past. I care that he made it right, was a paid customer, and was treated like a criminal. @united
— Priscilla Wagner (@_CillaW) April 11, 2017
Don’t care if David Dao traded pills for gay sex with leopard seals — what United did to him was wrong. But what the hell, destroy him!
— Neal Boortz (@Talkmaster) April 11, 2017
Between Ken Bone and David Dao, it’s clear that if you’re a normal person with dirty past, the media will rip you to shreds if you go viral.
— Peter Hasson (@peterjhasson) April 11, 2017