By Ryan Thompson
Brooklyn Daily Eagle

JAY STREET — When the “doctor� who allegedly drugged and raped his female patients was arraigned last year in Brooklyn Supreme Court and his bail was kept at $1 million in cash, Michail Sorodsky exclaimed, “I don’t have any money!�

Sorodsky was upset that Justice Cassandra Mullen would not reduce his bail then. Now his bail has been set at an amount over 10 times higher.

Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Vincent Del Giudice recently set Sorodsky’s bail at $10 million in a new case filed against him by the New York State Attorney General’s Office, making his total bail amount now $11 million for both cases.

According to an article yesterday in the New York Post, experts believe it is the highest bail ever set in New York. Swindlers Bernie Madoff and Tyco CEO Dennis Kozlowski had bails set at $10 million.

Sorodsky, of 1625 Emmons Ave., who owned and operated the Holistic Skin and Spa Clinic in Sheepshead Bay, was arrested in November 2007 and indicted for rape in the first degree, unlicensed practice of medicine, and numerous counts of aggravated sexual abuse, sexual abuse and forcible touching.

“This man lied to people who were sick and in need, and then administered so-called treatments when he had no training,� Attorney General Andrew Cuomo had said at the time of his arrest. “Even more heinous, he raped and sexually abused female patients when they were unconscious.�

Numerous patients, primarily Russian-speaking Brooklynites, were subjected to numerous acts of sexual abuse, according to the Attorney General’s Office. In addition to these allegations, Sorodsky is specifically charged with raping a patient whom he rendered unconscious in the summer of 2006.

Sorodsky told the female patient to drink a liquid that caused her to lose consciousness, and the patient awoke to Sorodsky naked and lying on top of her, according to Cuomo’s office. The patient later discovered evidence that caused her to believe that she had been raped.

When he appeared in court last year, the 62-year-old man from the former Soviet Union no longer looked like the man whose picture appeared on his web site advertising his holistic healing abilities. He stood in the courtroom agitated and confused, fidgeting with the double set of handcuffs behind his back. His gray hair was disheveled and his beard unshaven, and he explained to the court how he was legally blind.

To this, Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Cassandra Mullen had seemed perplexed. Then how do you practice medicine? she asked him.

After Mullen had refused to lower his bail from $1 million cash, or $3 million bond, Sorodsky later agreed to wear an ankle bracelet, in which he was allowed out of jail after posting a $500,000 bond. But Sorodsky apparently tampered with the bracelet, and his original $1 million bail was restored.

Now the Attorney General’s Office has filed new charges, and it doesn’t look like Sorodsky will be getting out of jail anytime prior to trial. In the alternative to putting up $11 million in cash, Sorodsky theoretically could put up a $33 million secured bond. Bonds are typically secured with houses, condominiums, cars or real estate.

Sorodsky did own a so-called resort in Upstate New York, but it would hardly be worth $33 million. Sorodsky operated the Holistic Skin & Spa and Bed & Breakfast Sanatorium in Walton, which is “smack in the middle of Mother Nature’s playground,� and has an Olympic-sized swimming pool, golf course, tennis courts and football fields for patients to use, according to the web site. “Where Mother Nature Cures,� was its motto.

According to the Attorney General’s Office, which is handling his prosecution, Sorodsky was not licensed to practice medicine, despite portraying himself as a medical doctor to patients, administering medications, performing physical examinations and blood tests, and guaranteeing the effectiveness of his treatments to cure many ailments, including cancer. The Attorney General’s investigation found that some of Sorodsky’s cancer patients died prematurely, since they believed in Sorodsky’s ability to cure them.

Last year, Sorodsky’s defense attorney argued that Sorodsky never held himself out to be a medical doctor. Sorodsky, who is an inventor and has a Ph.D., is a doctor of holistics and science, not medicine, his attorney said.

Sorodsky had his patients sign a “consent form to conduct the same type of treatment he is charged with in this indictment,� his attorney said.

However, according to his web site, “Sorodsky, an outstanding scientists [sic], received his education, professional and academic experience primarily in the former Soviet Union … and graduated with a Ph.D. degree in medical science.�

He then studied Eastern medicine in Tibet before emigrating to the United States in 1993, settling in Brooklyn and opening up his holistic health center, where the crimes are alleged to have occurred.

“You will experience a treatment that is quick, painless and one that goes directly to your cells,� he claimed on his web site.

Phone calls made last year to Sorodsky’s Brooklyn health center were answered by a recording that indicated he was a doctor and that the caller had reached his medical office. In cases of emergency, instructions were given to call his cell phone. Both voice mailboxes were full.

In light of the allegations in this case, those who received treatment at Sorodsky’s clinic might wish to consult a licensed physician or contact the New York Office of the Attorney General, which has set up a hotline regarding this case. Both English-speaking and Russian-speaking investigators will be available to callers at (212) 587-4100.

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