DOJ: Houston transplant doctor accused of falsifying records, stopping patient organ donations

HOUSTON - A Houston transplant doctor reportedly turned himself in to federal authorities for allegedly manipulating patient records.

Houston doctor accused of stopping organ transplants

What we know:

According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), 66-year-old John Stevenson Bynon Jr. is charged with five counts of making false statements in health care matters.

Dr. Bynon was said to be the Director of Abdominal Organ Transplantation and Surgical Director for Liver Transplantation at Memorial Hermann Health System's Texas Medical Center.

The DOJ says Bynon's patients were placed on a waitlist for organ donations, but they weren't eligible for donations due to false statements on their medical records.

Also, because of the alleged false statements, patients continued receiving benefits from Medicare as if they were eligible to receive donor organ offers.

What we don't know:

The DOJ did not provide other details at the time of this report.

What's next:

The DOJ says Bynon made his initial court appearance on Thursday afternoon.

If convicted, Bynon faces up to five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for each of his five charges.