Back in February I wrote a post asking for prayers and support for Dr. John Whelan of Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin.  Thank you to those of you who sent him letters of love and encouragement.

Just to show how corrupt our prison system is, Dr. Whelan was denied compassionate release twice—the last time on April 21st. He went back to the hospital about a month ago with a blood clot in his heart, a UTI and pneumonia.  His nurse, Tina, who gave me the information on him, was granted one visit with him on April 6th.  At that time he said he felt like he was dying.  The Mayo hospital told his daughter Heather that he had under six months to live. The DEA told the judge that Dr. Whelan’s daughter was lying and he was getting better and no problems. He passed away at 2 am on May 15 at the Mayo Hospital in Rochester, Mn.

Dr. Whelan was 78 y/o when he died. He was a psychiatrist, including adolescent and child psychiatry. He and his nurse, Tina Montezon, age now 63, were indicted in January, 2021, for

1. Conspiring to distribute controlled substances, including Buprenorphine, Ritalin, Xanax, and Adderall outside the course of a professional medical practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose, in violation of  21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C) and 846.
2. Maintaining a drug-involved premises, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 856(a)(1),
3. and Dr. Whelan making false statements to federal agents, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001.

Dr. Whelan had a Saturday practice for Suboxone treatment. He tried to help everyone and sometimes would not even charge the people for their Suboxone appts.

The government accused him of distributing controlled substance prescriptions in exchange for cash, making him look like a drug pusher instead of a compassionate physician taking care of the uninsured, even though his costs were for a standard office visit charge. The government also made it appear like all of his Suboxone patients were illegitimate, stating he made more than a quarter of a million dollars by selling improper and illicit prescriptions.  That was his total income for his Suboxone practice.  They took his house and sold it for $250,000 and confiscated his bank account, his car and his stepdaughter’s car, so they took a lot more then they said he made.  The government is after the money, and with the win, they were able to confiscate all of his income and belongings.

Probably due to the fact that the government had confiscated all his money and he was a victim of the public pretender office (Public Defender), he pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced in March, 2024 to 48 months. At the time of sentencing, Judge Brett H. Ludwig stated the reason for his sentence was “to send a message”.  Sorry, Judge, but doctors over the last 20 years haven’t heard the message, or don’t pay attention to it, in spite of my also telling them that they need to stop prescribing controlled substances altogether.

They put him in prison in California with his diabetes and high blood pressure and asthma. He was given a walker and the prison make him walk. Because he couldn’t make it, he closed down and did not eat. He was transferred to the Federal Medical Center in Rochester, MN and put in solitary confinement. He was in and out of the Mayo hospital. They gave him 6 months max to live at that point.  When he got transferred back to prison, he couldn’t walk anymore, was in a wheelchair and had to be on a puréed diet due to choking. He also had liver damage and they had to pump out his fluid at times.

Dr. Whelan did not deserve to die. The real criminals and those who will be held accountable by God are U.S. Attorneys Haanstad and Matthew Krueger, Assistant United States Attorneys Julie F. Stewart and Kevin Knight, DEA Agent John G.D. McGarry, and U.S. District Judge Brett H. Ludwig.

But, I might add, others responsible for not only his death but the continued attacks on compassionate physicians and the pain patients suffering from inappropriate treatment are all of those people who know about me, Doctorsofcourage.org, and what I teach, and yet do nothing to promote it, share it, or use it. We could have ended this fiasco years ago except for their apathy and failure to act.