Man Accused Of Defrauding LA Doctor Pleads Not Guilty

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A man extradited from an Idaho resort town has pleaded not guilty to charges he helped dupe a Los Angeles physician out of more than $28 million in an offshore investment.

Neil D. Campbell was arrested this month in Sun Valley and appeared briefly in court Friday. His preliminary hearing was set for July 8 and he was held on $10 million bail.

Cambell and another man, Philip Powers, face 140 counts of grand theft in an alleged eight-year scheme.

Prosecutors say the men defrauded an orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Gary Michelson, by getting him to invest in a teak farm in Costa Rica, then inflating the price of the property and skimming the difference.

Campbell and Powers could face up to 105 years in prison if convicted.

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