HOUSTON — Dr. John Stevenson Bynon appeared in federal court in Houston on Monday for a hearing on his motion to dismiss a federal fraud indictment related to alleged manipulation of liver transplant records. The 66-year-old former surgical director of liver transplantation at Memorial Hermann pleaded not guilty to the charges after being indicted in January by a federal grand jury.
Federal prosecutors allege that Bynon falsified medical records for some of his patients on the United Network for Organ Sharing liver transplant waitlist to make them “functionally ineligible for a donation.” They further contend his actions manipulated transplant eligibility and put lives at risk. If convicted, Bynon could face up to 25 years in federal prison.
Bynon’s defense team argued that he altered records to keep patients active on transplant waitlists until their health conditions improved enough to withstand surgery. His attorneys also contended that he was operating under transplant guidelines established during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prosecutors countered that these arguments should be presented to a jury at trial rather than serve as grounds for dismissing the indictment.
The federal judge acknowledged the case was unusual but did not issue an immediate ruling on the motion to dismiss. The judge did rule to exclude certain evidence from the trial, including medical information beyond Bynon’s care concerning the five patients named in the indictment. Bynon’s attorneys declined to comment after the hearing. The trial remains scheduled to begin June 22 unless the judge rules otherwise.