A man posing as a doctor was arrested on a charge of practicing medicine without a license after allegedly giving a dying woman a bag of dirt to treat her cancer, police in California said.
The woman with late stage cancer filed a complaint with the Thousand Oaks East County Sheriff’s Office that she had been harmed and scammed out of thousands of dollars by Vincent Gammill, who claimed to be able to treat her cancer.
The victim had seen Gammill and planned on seeking treatment from him as a last resort if all traditional medical efforts to cure her cancer had failed.
The victim traveled to Gammill’s office located at 3065 Richmond Parkway Suite 101, in Richmond.
While at the office, Gammill examined the victim and gave her an in-depth explanation of how he was going to treat her cancer.
He also advised her to alter the dosing of the medication her primary physician had prescribed her. Gammill demanded payment of $2,000 for his services, which she paid him.
Gammill then provided the victim with multiple plastic bags, containing different powders, empty capsules, vials of liquids, commercially produced medications with expired dates and a bag of dirt.
Gammill provided her with instructions on how to prepare the items for consumption.
After the victim ingested the substance, she began to get a burning sensation in her stomach, and Gammill told the victim it was good because that meant the ingredients were still active.
The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office arrested Gammill at his business for practicing medicine without a license, dependent adult abuse and furnishing dangerous drugs without a license.
Gammill stated that he had no formal education beyond high school. Gammill was booked into the Contra Costa County Jail.
