Ex-Fertility Clinic Doctor Enters Plea of Not Guilty

SANTA ANA —  A doctor implicated in UC Irvine’s egg-stealing scandal pleaded not guilty Monday to insurance fraud charges, but his release from custody was delayed when a federal judge suspended a court order setting bail.

Dr. Sergio C. Stone will have to wait until today to find out if a judge approves the terms of his $3-million bond.

In an emergency court hearing Monday afternoon, prosecutors persuaded U.S. District Court Judge Gary L. Taylor to review bail arrangements approved earlier in the day by a federal magistrate. In ordering the doctor to remain in custody, Taylor said he would ask Magistrate Judge Elgin Edwards to state in writing why he approved the complicated bail arrangements.

Stone, who appeared in court in a blue blazer and handcuffs earlier in the day, pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of mail and insurance fraud. The indictment alleges he filed false claims stating that he was assisted by other licensed physicians while performing medical procedures, when he was working alone or with trainees.

Prosecutors filed the criminal charges amid a seven-month federal investigation into UC Irvine’s now-closed Center for Reproductive Health. The university has accused Stone and two partners in the clinic with stealing human eggs and embryos from scores of women and implanting them in others, some of whom gave birth.