Matteo Politi, aged 39, did in Romania as if he were a plastic surgeon specialized in breast surgery, but not rather false surgeon. He performed numerous operations, including stabbing implants.
He was not up to his test piece and previously also acted as a cardiologist. In reality, he had only completed the second secondary level.
The Italian man, Matteo Politi, from Venice, had adopted a new identity, with the corresponding prestigious academic qualifications. “He even had trouble putting on the latex gloves for an operation or washing his hands according to the hygiene protocols,” say the nurses.
For two years the false surgeon wore a false English name, Matthew Mode. He had invented prestigious documents and titles that he had acquired in many parts of the world and hung in his office. He was also active on social media where he showed his skills. In his last post, a few hours before his arrest, he said “it is important to always choose the best doctor.”
His true identity was discovered by a study by the Romanian daily Libertatea: some nurses questioned the surgeon’s competence and even described him as awkward during the simplest procedures. The newspaper also reports the story of a routine operation performed by the false surgeon in four hours instead of just one. Some of the (dilapidated) implants he brought in would simply have been “jumped” after a year. The Romanian police arrested him on Wednesday morning while on the run, inside a train to Hungary.
Not to his test piece
The false surgeon was a former employee of a car rental company, and had already made a first guess ten years ago, with a career as a teacher, but he was also betrayed by his incompetence.
It was not the first time Matteo Politi made a career in the medical world. In 2011 he was already convicted on charges of false identity and abuse of the medical profession. He then gave himself to a real cardiologist with the same name and managed to deceive the managers of six health care institutions in four regions. So, he managed to include a few watch services. Once again, Matteo Politi was betrayed by his lack of experience: he got a year and a half for using false personal information and abusing the medical profession.
