DOJ-DEA CRIMINALIZATION OF SUCCESS IN BOTH ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AND COMMITMENT
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African-American men, was founded in 1906 at Cornell University. Since then, the fraternity has had over 290,000 members.
The fraternity addresses social issues such as apartheid, AIDS, urban housing, and other economic, cultural, and political isThe fraternity addresses social issues including apartheid, AIDS, urban housing, and various economic, cultural, and political concerns that affect people of color. It recognizes individuals who demonstrate both academic excellence and a commitment to correcting the educational, economic, political, and social injustices faced by African Americans. The fraternity actively tackles pressing social issues such as apartheid, AIDS, urban housing, and a range of economic, cultural, and political challenges that impact communities of color.

We celebrate and honor those who not only excel academically but also dedicate themselves to the pursuit of justice, striving to overcome the educational, economic, political, and social injustices that African Americans face. Together, we can create meaningful change and build a more equitable future, addressing issues of interest to people of color. And recognizes those who demonstrate both academic excellence and a commitment to correcting the educational, economic, political, and social injustices faced by African Americans.
ALPHA PHI ALPHA

THE JEWELS
The seven visionary founders, known as the “Jewels” of the fraternity, are Henry Arthur Callis, Charles Henry Chapman, Eugene Kinckle Jones, George Biddle Kelley, Nathaniel Allison Murray, Robert Harold Ogle, and Vertner Woodson Tandy.
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Members of Alpha Phi Alpha have long stood at the forefront of the African American community’s fight for civil rights, with notable leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall, and Jesse Owens. Alpha Phi Alpha was directly responsible for the conception, funding, and construction of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial next to the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
IN THE FOOTSTEP OF THE JEWELS
According to the CDC, the life expectancy gap, by race, is now the widest since 1998 and at a 15-year low overall. Black males now have the lowest life expectancy of any group. To better understand these disparities, we need more research. Alpha Phi Alpha has a particular interest in the medical profession and research.
As a majority of black physicians in this country are members of Alpha Phi Alpha, most notably Jewell, Henry Arthur Callis, became a practicing physician, a Howard University Professor of Medicine, and a prolific contributor to medical journals. Often regarded as the “philosopher of the founders” and a moving force in the Fraternity’s development.
Thus, walking in the footsteps of the Jewel, its descendants have risen to command leadership, promote brotherhood, and achieve academic excellence, while providing services and advocacy for their members’ communities. Now comes forth before us, physicians Gregory Belcher, Michael Jones, David Lewis, Joseph Webster, and pharmacist Louis Ladson.
However, despite all their accomplishments, they too face a judicial infrastructure in place to thwart and deny these physicians of their achievements and to further impose upon us disparities and dehumanization. Yet beneath the surface is a polished interface of artificial intelligence platforms, replete with glowing networks, pulsing red nodes, and graph-based ontologies, lies a profoundly troubling reality. The artificial intelligence systems used by Medicare, Medicaid, and Private Insurance programs misunderstand and effectively nullify the very concept of moral agency.
It replaces the human capacity for context-sensitive judgment with statistical suspicion, reducing the moral foundation of justice—the ability to have done otherwise—to a probability score. It replaces the human capacity for context-sensitive judgment with statistical suspicion, reducing the moral foundation of justice—the ability to have done otherwise—to a probability score.
THE SYSTEM OF DEHUMANIZATION
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and Drug Enforcement Administration(DEA) have systematically targeted and criminalized the goals of those correcting the educational, economic, political, and social injustices and eliminating healthcare disparities in a sustained campaign of subjective standards in medicine.
The government utilizes artificial intelligence systems, such as Qlarant, Palantir, Lavender, Where’s Your Daddy, or a system developed by Dr. Timothy King, for detecting fraud in controlled substance prescriptions. King’s system uses a three-part spreadsheet process (Forensic Chronology, Forensic Summary, Standard of Care Summary) to analyze patient medical and pharmacy data. Fundamentally misunderstands and effectively nullifies the very concept of moral agency.
Critics point out that King’s system lacks scientific rigor, relies on subjective interpretations, disregards patient individuality, and is potentially harmful due to its simplistic approach to complex medical decisions, raising concerns about potential miscarriages of justice and conflicts of interest. The panel also alleges Dr. King’s system promotes biased and false testimony, potentially supporting a neo-eugenic approach to healthcare. Ultimately, we present a highly critical view of Dr. King’s system and its implications.
The Controlled Substances Act has been weaponized against those who have the drive, those who have a vision, and those who demonstrate both academic excellence and a commitment to correcting the educational, economic, political, and social injustices, who refuse to be subjugated.
DAVID LEWIS, MD, ANESTHESIOLOGIST, DETROIT, MI.
DAVID LEWIS, MD

David Lewis, MD, 43, after earning a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, a medical degree from Meharry Medical College, a residency in Anesthesiology, and a pain management fellowship, had just completed the board requirements to be certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology. So, do you think that after going through all of that, Dr. Lewis would choose to submit fraudulent claims to Medicare?
He is a victim of gross government misconduct and faced (240 months, 24 years Federal Prison Time). Centuries ago, philosophers grappled with a paradox:
If God knows the future, do humans truly have free will?
At the core of Western Civilization’s legal and ethical understanding of guilt lies the Principle of Alternate Possibilities (PAP), which states that a person is morally responsible for an action only if they could have chosen differently. PAP undergirds much of Western jurisprudence. Context is everything.
But context is precisely what artificial intelligence algorithms omit in violation of constitutional and human rights, as any doctor in the country is possible he was found “NOT GUILTY,” by a jury on June 1, 2022, in a case called the Detroit-Five. During the trial, Assistant US Attorney Prosecutor Brandy McMillion, a member of a historically divine nine Black Sorority Delta Sigma Theta, disgracefully attacked and excoriated him for being a member of Alpha Phi Alpha.
These artificial intelligence systems, widely used by federal agencies and private insurers alike, ingest a deluge of data—insurance claims, pharmacy logs, and public records—and “red flags” to misidentify individuals whose behaviors deviate from established statistical norms.
The threshold for suspicion is not intent, necessity, or clinical justification, but rather deviation, i.e., an excessive number of prescriptions, patient referrals, or specialist visits.
These so-called healthcare fraud surveillance systems, which utilize artificial intelligence, do not ask why these outliers occur. Palantir’s AI does not consider whether a patient needed that care or whether a physician was serving a high-risk population.
Dr. Neil Anand, MD, writes “Palantir AI: The Illusion of Predictive Justice,” critiquing Palantir’s healthcare fraud algorithm. He draws parallels between the historical philosophical paradox of divine foreknowledge and free will, the Wizard of Oz illusion, and Palantir’s predictive AI, arguing that the system undermines concepts of moral agency, context-sensitive judgment, and the Principle of Alternate Possibilities. Anand highlights concerns about misuse, misalignment, mistakes, and structural risks associated with AI systems like Palantir’s, as well as the concept of hyperreality as described by Jean Baudrillard, where simulations replace reality.
…..Like the child on the beach who scoops the ocean with a shell, Palantir’s AI algorithms attempt to reduce the sea of human behavior to a manageable pit of data. But human imagination, care, choice, and context are not easily quantified. Human life journeys are stories, not spreadsheets of data.
“..the medium becomes the message and the message is guilt..”
When we entrust our systems of justice to AI algorithms that treat correlation as conviction, we are not fighting fraud; we are dismantling the very scaffolding that makes justice and reality possible. Philosopher Jean Baudrillard called this state, hyperreality.”……Hyperreality captures a cultural condition in which simulations and symbols no longer represent reality; they replace it. In a hyperreal state, consumerism thrives on sign exchange value, and brand names become markers of identity and worth, detached from any functional or emotional reality. ”
MIKE JONES, MD, CARDIOLOGIST, NEW ORLEANS
MICHAEL JONES MD
CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE CARDIOLOGY 25+ YEARS EXPERIENCE FacebookTwitterLinkedin
Dr. Michael B Jones, MD, specializes in cardiovascular disease cardiology in New Orleans, LA, and has over 25 years of experience in the field of medicine. He graduated from the Medical College of Georgia with his medical degree in 1996.
He was affiliated with numerous hospitals in Louisiana, including Touro Infirmary. Dr. Michael B Jones was licensed to practice by the state board in Louisiana (13825R). He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. and the National Medical Association.
Dr. Jones awards a $5,000 scholarship annually to a deserving student who will attend an accredited college in Louisiana, will remain in Louisiana after graduation, and has shown a commitment to community service. Palantir’s AI flags the anomaly and lets human interpreters, often prosecutors or investigators, fill in the blanks with assumptions of guilt.
This silicon-based, mechanized approach to fraud detection evokes a digital revival of theological fatalism. Just as philosophers once questioned whether divine foreknowledge nullifies human freedom, Palantir AI’s mass surveillance system generates a paradox of predictive justice, where it claims omniscience through data analytics while simultaneously denying human individuals the opportunity to be judged as human agents capable of acting otherwise.
Sylvia McKenzie, co-moderator of J&B, says of Dr. Jones, “An awesome guy. He is lovable and willing to school us and teach us about the medical system, the miseducation, and the misinformation about drugs, billing, and the best treatment. He is very knowledgeable. Whatever we can do to get him out, we will do it.”
GREGORY BELCHER, MD, ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON, SAN FRANCISCO, CA, “The government and counsel for Dr. Belcher have consented to the filing of this amicus brief. Amici curiae members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. submit this brief in support of Dr. Gregory Belcher’s petition for en banc review.”
GREGORY BELCHER MD
Amici curiae members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., respectfully request that the Court grant Dr. Gregory’s petition for rehearing en banc.
DATED: July 19, 2021
Respectfully submitted,
/s/Lara Bazelon
Lara Bazelon
Counsel for Alpha Phi Alpha Members:
Willie Brown
Jimmy Chambers Desmond Gumbs Marcus Lampley Hesham Ragab, M.D.
“While serving his country in the Navy, Dr. Belcher earned high praise from those with whom he worked. Lisa Kumagai, a critical care nurse in the Navy and the Officer in Charge of Expeditionary Medical Facility Camp Pendleton Detachment G in San Jose, said this in support of Dr. Belcher at his sentencing: Dr. “Belcher is an example of what the Navy represents in its core values: Honor, Courage, and Commitment.
These values are demonstrated by his commitment to the Navy, his patients, and his volunteer service. I would go to war anytime with CAPT Belcher and am honored to say I served with him.” Ex. A (Dist. Ct. Dkt. No. 384-32).
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity’s legal counsel wrote on behalf of Dr. Belcher;
“The members of this organization are acutely aware that there are two sides to every story but only one truth and one correct application of justice. Alpha Phi Alpha urges this Court to accept en banc review because a core mission of the fraternity is to fight against the unfair treatment African-Americans so often receive in our legal system. This case is important not only because the outcome is unjust but because it will deprive the community’s access to a well-trained Black physician.
The amici’s interest in this matter arises from the fraternity’s stated commitment to promoting the rights of African Americans, including Black doctors. Identified counsel for amicus prepared and is submitting this brief pro bono. No party’s counsel authored this brief in whole or part. No party, party’s counsel, or person other than the amici curiae, their members, or their counsel, contributed money that was intended to fund preparing or submitting the brief.
Amici, please do not ask this Court to overturn Dr. Belcher’s conviction because of his race or personal and professional achievements. Instead, his claim on appeal was that the trial evidence failed to prove him guilty of the charged theory of fraud. Once again, Palantir’s visualizations—complex graphs and red risk clusters—are not evidence in any traditional sense, but are persuasive aesthetics.
“..the metaphor of Wizard of Oz is apt. Palantir’s technology operates behind a curtain of proprietary secrecy, projecting power and certainty while concealing fragility and error..”
Their power lies not in what they reveal, but in how convincingly they simulate knowledge. Judges and juries are shown images of sprawling networks connecting doctors to pharmacies to patients, often without any meaningful understanding of the thresholds, data biases, or AI algorithms that produced those connections. The medium becomes the message, and the message is guilt.
Worse still, Palantir’s AI system is proprietary. Its AI algorithms are opaque and shielded from scrutiny. Criminal defense attorneys cannot interrogate how risk scores are calculated. Timothy E. King’s overall strategy is to criminalize every aspect of all care provided by physicians whom the DEA and insurance industry have targeted, despite knowing that no commonly accepted or published standards exist for opiate dose dispensation due to the subjective nature of pain. Defendant King’s ‘Fraud on the Court’

Vilasini Ganesh, MD, the wife of Dr. Gregory Belcher, MD, was also targeted due to erroneous government charges. Incredibly, prosecutors accused her of treating patients while she was still in high school in India, long before she arrived in this country. Dr. Gregory Bel and the billing patient
The indictments have yet to be considered. This condition has direct implications for artificial algorithmic systems, such as those used by Palantir. These AI tools don’t just analyze data; they construct and project a version of reality, often with hidden assumptions and biases. The danger lies not merely in bias, but in unseen bias, the kind encoded in proprietary algorithms presented as objective truth.
What’s needed is not the impossible promise of neutrality, but transparency and open configurability, allowing users to see, understand, and adjust the biases within. Only through decentralized, participatory models — ones that share not just code but also trained weights and decision logic — can we challenge the illusion of algorithmic omniscience and reassert human agency in the hyperreal artificial intelligence systems that now shape our lives. Yet the panel’s holding that the government was not required to prove the theory of criminality was constitutionally erroneous. Amici submit that the consequences of that erroneous ruling are sufficiently grave to merit rehearing en banc.
The nature of the conduct at issue and the consequences of the conviction require you to take care of this. Dr. Belcher overcame long odds to become a preeminent surgeon. His father left the family when Dr. Belcher was three years old. Despite the fracture in his family, Dr. Belcher thrived in college and was awarded a Navy scholarship to medical school. He was accepted by Brown University for his residency and received a post-residency fellowship at Stanford.
Orthopedic surgeon Sanaz Hariri, who shares office space with Dr. Belcher, noted that Dr. Belcher is an exceptionally talented and dedicated surgeon who “can do complex total joint replacements and revision cases that very few people are trained and able to do.” Ex. B (Dist.. Ct. Dkt. No. 384-33). Dr. Hariri also describes how Dr. Belcher is especially attentive to his patients, frequently “employing his unique mixture of empathy for patients and surgical skills.” Ibid. Dr. Hariri summed up the loss caused by this prosecution:
Gregory Belcher is in Lompoc Federal Prison, California (1-year sentence), having been convicted of $217. His wife, also a physician, is in Federal Prison for 5 years. They have three children.
THE LATE LOUIS LADSON RPH, MBA
LOUIS LADSON RPH, MBA
Louie loved his wife, Sharron, from the moment their eyes met. They were blessed with two children, Tisha and Eric. He was a wonderful, loving father who was involved in all their interests and social activities; he cheered them on when they played sports. Louie loved his sports and loved watching his games!
As a soldier, Louie continued serving his country in the United States Army Reserves as a Pharmacy Information Officer. he recently joined the American Legion Post 138 in Tampa, Florida. His service to God was of utmost importance in his life, as he consistently prioritized the Lord.
He loved serving God and was committed to Mt. Zion AME Church, Tampa, Florida, his Pastor, and his church family, doing whatever needed to be done. He was there giving his best with his broad, infectious smile.
He loved being the Pro Tem of the Stewards Board and working on the Anniversary Committee. Louie loved and supported all his family and was always there when they needed him without hesitation. He always gave his all to his fellow man.
However, to the DEA, Dr. Louis Ladson is both a drug dealer and a drug trafficker. Lincourt Pharmacy of Clearwater, Florida, had been in business for nearly 40 years. They’re a specialty pharmacy that compounds sterile and non-sterile products, and we generate over $15 million in sales annually, with operations worldwide. Louis Ladson, who is the pharmacist-owner, states that “his business dropped dramatically when the DEA came around and began targeting and harassing his wholesalers.”
Let’s not be fooled, this was the work of Florida DEA director Susan Langston and demonstrates how the DEA targeted Black Own Pharmacy Businesses.
Louis passed away on January 26, 2022, from having an unsuccessful heart transplant
JOSEPH WEBSTER Sr., MD, MBA, FACP
November 17, 1967, at 08:05 pm, I “crossed the burning sands” and entered the sacred and hallowed grounds of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. via the cherished and noble portal called BN (Beta Nu) Chapter, Florida A & M University in Tallahassee, Florida. Barely nineteen years old, I suddenly became an “Alpha Man” with all the ‘rights and privileges appertaining thereunto’ along with my countless Brothers of Alpha Dom strategically ‘scattered’ around the world that we know as Earth.
The actual danger is not that such AI systems exist, but that we humans defer to them. That we allow AI visual persuasion to replace reasoned human argument, thereby accepting AI predictive data analytics as proof.
In a world increasingly governed by artificial intelligence algorithms, we must remember what makes justice just. It is not the volume of data or the sophistication of the AI software. It is the ability to consider alternate possibilities, to contextualize decisions, and to respect the human agency of those we judge. These AI healthcare fraud algorithm offers none of these. It does; we must pull back the curtain and expose the illusion for what it is. Because the future of justice depends not on how well humanity predicts guilt, but on how fiercely humanity protects the freedom to choose otherwise.
Finally, I had ‘Finished Pledging’ and could begin ‘enjoying’ the great opportunities that Alpha Phi Alpha provided – Agape Love, Fraternal Spirit, Brothers for life, Academic Associates, Business Partners and Opportunities, Wine and Women, Expert tutorials, (a few ‘free unspeakables’), and countless ‘portals’ to the finer things in life simply because I was an “Alpha Man”!
WEBSTER MEDICAL COMPLEX
The Laws of Thermal Dynamics hold true for social institutions as well as for the physical world that Newton and others (Faraday, etc.) described when they were derived several centuries ago. There is an inverse relationship between the intensity of the heat generated by a source and the distance that the heat must traverse.
The further I got from FAMU and November 17, 1967, at 8:05 pm, the less intense the heat I felt when I crossed the burning sands. My ‘Love’ for Alpha has never diminished, but the ‘demonstrated Love’ as measured by the tangibles and easily quantifiable variables – paid dues, meetings attended, offices held at local, regional, and national levels, banquets and picnics attended, reading sessions for underprivileged students, etc. – have been constantly ‘replaced’ with what I almost embarrassingly call ‘more important and more immediately demanding’ issues in my life at all levels.
The replacement factors include – raising a family, 70 – 80-hour workweek (I am an ‘old physician’ and we worked those crazy hours), church leadership duties, professional organizations, civic organizations, NAACP, URBAN LEAGUE, three post-doc degrees, and the constant demand to ‘keep one step ahead of disruptive innovations in our chosen professions.
Granted, the ‘replacement factors’ are all legitimate matters that have to be cared for at the very highest level of precision as one would expect from an Alpha Man, regardless of the task, as long as the task was one of ‘Manly Deeds, Scholarship, and Love for All Mankind.’
Alpha Phi Alpha Obelisk, Ohio State University Sculpture Hale Hall Cultural Center
It is this apparent ‘divergence’ of ‘Being and Alpha Man’ and doing all the other ‘non-Frat-house’ activities that challenge us to rethink the idea of the possibility of ever being able to “Finish Pledging”.
It also affords an opportunity to ‘redefine’ what we mean by ‘Pledging’ in the context of a rapidly changing world and the associated need for transformative change in every fiber of the world that we want to see tomorrow.
That world tomorrow must include ‘productive innovation’ from the Divine Nine that will not simply duplicate the countless contributions of these dynamic organizations for the last 125 years. Frantz Fanon stated it best nearly 75 years ago in 1961:
“Europe (The United States of America – ‘little Europe) now lives at such a mad, reckless pace that she has shaken off all guidance and all reason and is running headlong into the abyss: we would do well to avoid it with all possible speed.”
“ . . . . comrades, we must turn over a new leaf, we must work out new concepts, and try to set afoot a NEW MAN (African American)”
I argue that we, the Divine Nine, are indeed the ‘talented tenth’ that Du Bois referenced. We are the people that we are waiting for to change the world for our children for generations to come.
WEBSTER MEDICAL COMPLEX TALLAHASSEE
We have already been ‘reincarnated’ and in each one of us is an ‘all you need’ portion of Chaka Zulu, Moses, Joseph, Suni Ali, Martin, Malcolm, Tupac, Toussaint, Du Bois, Booker T., Garvey, Blyden, Rosa – and the countless Sisters and Brothers that painfully transitioned during the several hundred years of transatlantic exploitation of human cargo from the shores of Africa.
Their spirits are immutably intertwined with our spirits. Their last breath is all the wind that we need to take flight.
Just as Alpha Phi Alpha did in 1946 with its “Forward with Alpha” articulated by Brothers Channing Tobias, Paul Robeson, Rayford Logan, Max Yergan, and General President – Belford V. Lawson, Alpha Phi Alpha, again stepped to the plate in support of our physician brother Retired Naval Captain Greg Belcher MD.,(War Veteran) from California both he and his wife Vilisini Ganesh MD., battle against Bad Faith Peer Review of African American and India Healthcare providers.
WEBSTER MEDICAL COMPLEX
This is but one of the forms of “Pledging 201” that all of us are challenged to strive for. Tomorrow’s challenge is for the Pledging to start with strategic ‘root-cause analyses’ of the myriad of problems and circumstances that the powers to be call – ‘social determinants! Whatever happens in a given society is determined by the policies that govern the definition and distribution of the resources available to its members.
The outcomes are almost 100% ‘nurture’ and not ‘nature’. It is the responsibility of the Divine Nine to strategically deploy every ounce of our collective resources – starting with our intellectual prowess and organizational networks – to address the ‘upstream’ causes that are responsible for our current situation.
Thomas Carlyle:
“Our main business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to DO what lies clearly at hand.”
Indeed, each one of us must prepare for the infinite journey of ‘Pledging’ and recommit our lives to addressing the reason behind what we see in the streets and hear on the news. Biblically speaking, we must put on the ‘whole armor of God’, and the sandals that will be required to deal with the ‘new burning sands’ must be ‘sandals of the MIND’. Alpha in 1947 demonstrated the spirits of ‘liberalism, courage, and determination.’
WEBSTER MEDICAL COMPLEX
We must prepare to turn over a new leaf and set forth a new African American who is committed to changing the world for our children, starting at the root cause of what is wrong with the United States of America.
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THE PLEDGING NEVER ENDS!
Joseph Webster, MD, a gastroenterologist, was systematically forced out of business and sold the ‘Webster Medical Complex.
CONCLUSION
Detailed Timeline of Main Events
- 1906: Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., is founded at Cornell University, becoming the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity for African-American men.
- November 17, 1967 (08:05 pm): Joseph Webster “crosses the burning sands” and becomes a member of Alpha Phi Alpha at Florida A & M University.
- Early 1980s (Approximate): Dr. Gregory Belcher’s father leaves the family when Gregory is three years old.
- Date Unspecified: Dr. Gregory Belcher receives a Navy scholarship to medical school and is accepted into residency at Brown University and a post-residency fellowship at Stanford.
- 1996: Dr. Michael B. Jones graduates from the Medical College of Georgia with his medical degree.
- 1998: Life expectancy gap by race begins to widen in the United States.
- Date Unspecified: Louis Ladson’s pharmacy, Lincourt Pharmacy of Clearwater, Florida, which had been in business for nearly 40 years, experiences a dramatic drop in business after the DEA begins targeting and harassing its wholesalers. This is attributed to the actions of Florida DEA director Susan Langston.
- Date Unspecified: Dr. Joseph Webster Sr. is systematically forced out of business and sells the Webster Medical Complex.
- Before June 1, 2022: Dr. David Lewis, Dr. Gregory Belcher, Dr. Michael Jones, Dr. Joseph Webster, and Louis Ladson are targeted by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Department of Justice (DOJ), often through the use of artificial intelligence systems like Qlarant, Palantir, Lavender, Where’s your Daddy, or a system developed by Dr. Timothy King.
- Date Unspecified: Dr. Vilasini Ganesh, wife of Dr. Gregory Belcher, is also targeted, with prosecutors reportedly charging her for treating and billing patients while she was in high school in India.
- Date Unspecified: Dr. Gregory Belcher is convicted and sentenced to a 1-year sentence at Lompoc Federal Prison, California, based on a conviction of $217.
- Date Unspecified: Dr. Vilasini Ganesh is sentenced to a 5-year sentence in Federal Prison. They have three children.
- July 19, 2021: Members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. file an amicus brief in support of Dr. Gregory Belcher’s petition for en banc review.
- January 26, 2022: Louis Ladson passes away from an unsuccessful heart transplant.
- June 1, 2022: Dr. David Lewis is found “NOT GUILTY” by a jury in the “Detroit-Five” case. During the trial, Assistant US Attorney Prosecutor Brandy McMillion allegedly attacked and excoriated him for being a member of Alpha Phi Alpha.
Cast of Characters
- Gregory Belcher, MD: An orthopedic surgeon based in San Francisco, California. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. He served as a Captain in the U.S. Navy. He is described as an exceptionally talented and dedicated surgeon with expertise in complex joint replacements and revisions. He was convicted and served a 1-year sentence in federal prison. His case is cited as an example of alleged medical injustice and the problematic use of AI in prosecutions.
- Michael Jones, MD: A cardiovascular disease cardiologist in New Orleans, Louisiana, with over 25 years of experience. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and the National Medical Association. He awards an annual scholarship to a deserving student in Louisiana. He is cited as another healthcare provider targeted by AI-driven fraud detection systems.
- David Lewis, MD: An Anesthesiologist in Detroit, Michigan. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, a medical degree from Meharry Medical College, and completed residency in Anesthesiology and a pain management fellowship. He had recently completed board requirements for certification with the American Board of Anesthesiology. He was a defendant in the “Detroit-Five” case and was found “NOT GUILTY” by a jury on June 1, 2022. He is presented as a victim of alleged gross government misconduct and the targeting of Alpha Phi Alpha members by a prosecutor.
- Joseph Webster Sr., MD, MBA, FACP: A Gastroenterologist. He became a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. in 1967 at Florida A & M University. He was systematically forced out of business and sold the Webster Medical Complex. He is a strong advocate for the ongoing relevance of the “Pledging” concept within Alpha Phi Alpha to address current societal issues and the injustices faced by African Americans.
- Louis Ladson, RPh, MBA: A pharmacist and owner of Lincourt Pharmacy in Clearwater, Florida. He is described as a loving husband, father, and active member of his church and the American Legion. He served in the United States Army Reserves as a Pharmacy Information Officer. His business was allegedly targeted and harassed by the DEA, particularly under the direction of Florida DEA director Susan Langston. He passed away on January 26, 2022, from an unsuccessful heart transplant. The source portrays him as a victim of government overreach and targeted actions against Black-owned businesses.
- Vilasini Ganesh, MD: The wife of Dr. Gregory Belcher. She is also a physician. She was targeted by prosecutors who allegedly charged her for treating and billing patients when she was in high school in India. She was sentenced to a 5-year sentence in federal prison.
- Henry Arthur Callis: One of the seven “Jewels” or visionary founders of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. He was a practicing physician, Howard University Professor of Medicine, and prolific contributor to medical journals, often regarded as the “philosopher of the founders” and a moving force in the Fraternity’s development. His legacy is invoked by the authors as a precedent for Alpha Phi Alpha members in the medical profession.
- You’re Within The Norms: The author/blogger of the source material, who operates the blog youarewithinthenorms.com. They are a vocal critic of the DEA, DOJ, and the use of AI in healthcare fraud detection, advocating for accountability and exposing alleged abuses. They identify as a healthcare provider (RPh, DDS) and an Alpha Man (Norman J Clement RPH., DDS aka Norman The Dove Officer of Love sp 71, Alpha Xi Florida AM University).
- Darnella Frazier: Mentioned as the young woman whose cell phone camera recorded the murder of George Floyd, serving as a parallel to the blog’s role in bearing witness to alleged injustices.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.: A prominent member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and a leading figure in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. The fraternity was responsible for the conception, funding, and construction of his memorial in Washington, D.C.
- Thurgood Marshall: A prominent member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and the first African-American Supreme Court Justice.
- Jesse Owens: A prominent member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and an Olympic track and field athlete.
- Timothy King: A developer of a system for detecting fraud in controlled substance prescriptions using a three-part spreadsheet process. The source is highly critical of his system, alleging it lacks scientific rigor, relies on subjective interpretations, promotes biased testimony, and potentially supports a neo-eugenic approach to healthcare.
- Brandy McMillion: An Assistant US Attorney Prosecutor in the “Detroit-Five” case involving Dr. David Lewis. She is identified as a member of the historically divine nine Black Sorority Delta Sigma Theta. She is alleged to have disgracefully attacked and excoriated Dr. Lewis for being a member of Alpha Phi Alpha during the trial.
- Dr. Neil Anand, MD: Author of “Palantir AI: The Illusion of Predictive Justice,” which critiques Palantir’s healthcare fraud algorithm.
- Jean Baudrillard: A philosopher whose concept of “hyperreality” is used by the authors to describe a state where simulations replace reality, particularly in relation to AI systems.
- Sylvia McKenzie: Co-moderator of J&B, who speaks highly of Dr. Michael Jones, describing him as “awesome,” “lovable,” and knowledgeable about the medical system.
- Lara Bazelon: Counsel for Alpha Phi Alpha Members who submitted an amicus brief in support of Dr. Gregory Belcher’s petition for en banc review.
- Willie Brown, Jimmy Chambers, Desmond Gumbs, Marcus Lampley, Hesham Ragab, M.D.: Members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. listed as amici curiae (friends of the court) who submitted a brief in support of Dr. Gregory Belcher.
- Lisa Kumagai: A critical care nurse in the U.S. Navy and Officer in Charge of Expeditionary Medical Facility Camp Pendleton Detachment G in San Jose. She provided a statement in support of Dr. Gregory Belcher at his sentencing, praising his adherence to Navy core values.
- Sanaz Hariri: An Orthopedic surgeon who shares office space with Dr. Gregory Belcher. She describes Dr. Belcher as an exceptionally talented and dedicated surgeon with a unique mixture of empathy and surgical skills.
- Susan Langston: Florida DEA director who is alleged to have targeted Black-owned pharmacy businesses, specifically Lincourt Pharmacy owned by Louis Ladson.
- Frantz Fanon: A philosopher and revolutionary whose quote from 1961 is used by Joseph Webster to emphasize the need for a “NEW MAN (African American)” and transformative change.
- Channing Tobias, Paul Robeson, Rayford Logan, Max Yergan, Belford V. Lawson: Brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha mentioned in relation to the fraternity’s “Forward with Alpha” initiative in 1946, invoked as a historical precedent for the fraternity’s activism.
- Chaka Zulu, Moses, Joseph, Suni Ali, Martin, Malcolm, Tupac, Toussaint, Du Bois, Booker T., Garvey, Blyden, Rosa: Historical figures and individuals whose spirits are described as being intertwined with the spirits of present-day Alpha Men, inspiring them to address societal problems.
- Thomas Carlyle: A writer whose quote about focusing on “what lies clearly at hand” is used to encourage action in addressing current challenges.