The lawyer representing a teenager who allegedly pretended to be a doctor has likened his client to Donald Trump, saying he has the real estate mogul's "entrepreneurial spirit."
Malachi Love-Robinson, who officials say was known to unsuspecting patients as "Dr. Love," turned himself in to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office Tuesday on new fraud charges and appeared in court today.
The 18-year-old is charged with five counts of fraud by using identification without consent and one count of larceny of more than $20,000.
After his court appearance, his attorney Andrew Stein, cited the teen's "entrepreneurial spirit" as a factor in the case.
"He has the entrepreneurial spirit of someone like a Donald Trump or Bill Gates," Stein said in a video shared by a reporter for ABC's affiliate WPBF. "I've never met somebody, and I'm much older obviously, who has such entrepreneurial spirit."
"If it was channeled maybe in a different direction, things could be different here today," Stein said.
Stein had no comment and it was not immediately clear if Love-Robinson entered a plea to his charges.
Love-Robinson was ordered to undergo a mental examination, according to ABC affiliate station WPBF-TV.
Police reported in his notice to appear that these latest charges are connected to his earlier arrest for grand theft larceny because further investigation into the losses sustained by an 86-year-old woman whom he reportedly treated found that he had allegedly "criminally used" her checking account to make $34,504 in car and credit card payments.
Florida Teen Arrested After Allegedly Posing as a DoctorThe teenager came under scrutiny several weeks ago when he was arrested in mid-February after he allegedly gave a medical examination to an undercover sheriff's office agent posing as a patient.
Love-Robinson spoke to ABC News after that arrest, defending his actions, saying that all he faced at the moment were "accusations." The charges included unlicensed practice of medicine and practicing medicine without an active license.
When asked whether he was a doctor, the teenager avoided answering the question fully.
"I do currently hold a PhD. In what, I don't feel comfortable disclosing because that is not the issue here," he said, before eventually ending the interview early.