Houston Doctor Charged in Transplant Deception

A Houston-based physician, Dr. John Stevenson Bynon Jr., has been indicted by federal prosecutors on five counts of making false statements related to health care. These charges stem from allegations that he falsified medical records for five patients, thereby rendering them ineligible for life-saving liver transplants.

As the former director of abdominal organ transplantation at Memorial Hermann Health System, Bynon allegedly altered patient records between March 2023 and March 2024. This alleged deception prevented critically ill patients from receiving timely organ offers. Prosecutors state that three of the affected patients died, one succumbing in December 2023 and another in February 2024 while awaiting transplants.

Two other patients were eventually able to secure liver transplants at different hospitals after their records were altered. The indictment suggests patients and their families were unaware of Bynon's alleged actions. Legal representatives for the families of deceased patients have initiated civil lawsuits in Houston.

Bynon's attorney asserts his client acted lawfully and in good faith throughout his 40-year career, during which he performed over 2,000 transplants. If convicted, Bynon faces up to five years in federal prison for each count. In February 2025, Memorial Hermann's transplant program was designated as not in good standing by the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.