An Excelsior doctor has agreed to refrain from making charitable claims that Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison called “misleading” in a court order filed Tuesday.
Ellison accused Dr. Sean O’Mara of claiming that payments to his clinic benefitted a charity and were tax-deductible.
“O’Mara was soliciting ‘tax exempt’ donations to an entity that does not exist,” the order stated.
O’Mara operates MedCon Wellness, a direct-pay boutique clinic focused on reversing chronic disease and improving health and appearance. Offerings include a $2,000 “Elderly Turn-Around,” a $2,500 to $3,000 “Obesity Reversal Plan,” and a $1,500 “Female Face and Body Appearance” package.
O’Mara said the allegations are a misunderstanding about an intended charity to confront childhood obesity that was scuttled by the COVID-19 pandemic. He was surprised that Ellison issued a press release about it.
“I never took a penny on this thing,” said O’Mara, whose career includes emergency medical service for the U.S. Army and current service in the Minnesota National Guard.
Ellison alleged that O’Mara solicited donations via PayPal and other online payment services to a nonexistent charity, and also pledged to donate all his clinical fees to charity if patients weren’t satisfied.
The doctor “never made any such donations,” the order stated. Future violations of the order could result in $25,000 fines.
The Attorney General did not question the doctor’s clinical practices, but forwarded the complaint to the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice. The board in 2021 required O’Mara to take a professional boundaries course and write a paper after one patient complained about an inappropriate exam and a second said a workplace physical was excessive.
O’Mara’s practice is focused on reducing visceral fat, which is the fat deep in the abdomen that surrounds the stomach, liver and intestines.
O’Mara said visceral fat is misunderstood by traditional doctors, though organizations such as Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic publicize its risks. Traditional diet and exercise routines are recommended to reduce this type of fat.