Clinic Doctor, Administrator Arrested in Illegal Practice Investigation : Medicine: The pair face charges of conspiring to trick patients into believing the latter was a qualified physician.

ANAHEIM — A doctor and the administrator at Ball-Taft Medical Clinic were arrested Friday on charges that the administrator tricked patients into believing he was a physician, partly by using the name of his son, who is a doctor.

Armed with warrants, investigators from the Medical Board of California arrived at the clinic on State College Boulevard near Cerritos Avenue and arrested Dr. Leon Kraus, 59, of Newport Beach, and Louis Steven Long, 59, of Orange.

Kraus was booked on suspicion of conspiracy to permit an unlicensed person to work as a physician, and Long was arrested for investigation of practicing medicine without a license. They are being held in Anaheim City Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail.

Although Kraus could be back in operation on Monday if he is released on bail, medical board officials say they will seek a restraining order if Long attempts to operate out of the clinic.

Ball-Taft, which has been in business about 22 years, specializes in industrial accidents and workers’ compensation cases, but treats a more general clientele. Six employees, including a medical X-ray technician, were at the facility with Long and Kraus when they were arrested. Several patients turned away by medical investigators in the afternoon were told to call back on Monday.

“The two (Long and Kraus) denied they were doing anything wrong, and identified Long as a medical technician,” said Kathy Schmidt, a medical board investigator. “But we know he was performing the duties of a doctor.”

The investigation began several weeks ago when a former clinic employee complained to the medical board that Long might be practicing medicine illegally. Schmidt said two undercover operators were sent to Ball-Taft after Kraus was gone from the office, and both were treated by Long.

“Dr. Kraus would generally see and treat patients up to about 3 or 4 p.m., then Long would treat patients who came in after that,” Schmidt said.

During patient visits, the medical board alleges that Long wore a white jacket and a tag with only his last name and the word “emergency” written on it.

“He would never identify himself as a doctor, but when others in the office called him a doctor, he would never bother to correct them,” Schmidt said.

But the most imposing deception, according to investigators, was Long’s use of his son’s name, Steven Long M.D., which was placed on the office directory immediately to the right of Kraus’ name. Long’s son is a physician, practicing in Irvine.

“We know that the son did work at the clinic for a very short time about two years ago, but hasn’t been active since,” Schmidt said. “It is a blatant attempt to mislead the public into believing that the Long who is treating patients there is the Long listed” on the directory.

The younger Long was out of town, according to his office, and unavailable for comment. But a member of his staff confirmed that he did not work at the Ball-Taft clinic.

Two other doctors’ names are listed on the directory, and neither of them have worked at the clinic either in the past three years, according to state medical board investigators.

The other doctors listed were E.L. Douville of Fullerton and John W. Richey of Laguna Niguel. They have not been accused of wrongdoing.

“Once again, this is an attempt to try to give credibility to your operation, to make people think it’s an office of four doctors, when it isn’t,” Schmidt said.

Undercover investigators said the clinic was extremely busy with customers when they went in after 6 p.m. for treatment. If the clinic was not open, Schmidt said, there was a button to push, which was connected to Long’s home telephone.