Former UC Irvine fertility doctor will not be extradited to U.S., Mexican official says

Mexico has decided against sending Dr. Ricardo Asch, the fugitive physician at the center of UC Irvine's fertility scandal, back to the United States for prosecution, a top Mexican official told The Times on Thursday.

U.S authorities were seeking to extradite Asch after he was arrested in November at his Mexico City apartment on an Interpol "red notice." He was indicted in 1997 on federal mail fraud and tax evasion charges, but fled to Mexico City and his native Argentina to evade prosecution.

Asch headed the internationally renowned Center for Reproductive Health and many accused him of taking eggs and embryos from some patients without their consent and giving them to other women. The unprecedented fertility fraud led to the live births of at least 15 children and lawsuits by scores of couples devastated by the revelations. The University of California, which was accused of trying to cover up the wrongdoing by Asch and two partners, has paid some $25 million to settle 140 lawsuits.

Read the full report here.

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-- Kim Christensen

Photo: Dr. Ricardo Asch shown in 1995. Credit: Alex Garcia / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Sailbum]

Mexico is snubbing their nose at the US and international extradition treaties with this behavior. I would be very curious to here what excuse they are using to deny this extradition request. There is no death penalty involved in this case, so that is obviously not the reason. They honored the international arrest warrant, so I do not understand why they are blocking the extradition. Is this some ploy on the part of the Mexican government to gain some kind of concession from the US in exchange for honoring their international obligations?!?! Is there someone in the US that the Mexicans want and they are trying to set up a trade?!?! It would be helpful to have some explanation of the Mexican government's actions. Otherwise the only conclusion that can be reached is that they are blocking the US from bringing this person to justice for no good reason!!!

[swhitS]

That be 25 million of taxpayer money?
Our corrupt government takes their cast offs, feeds them, educates, gives them medical care, allows them to send money home to attribute to the 2nd highest money making income, sends them millions in foreign aide and beckons to every word Calderone says and now won't extradite a criminal.
Some would say this is a lot like blackmail.
Why do Americans put up with this nonsense?

[MexiCAN not MexiCANT]

He's going to make a nice pinata in Mexico. Aye papi!!!

[contactjohn]

Corruption is not a crime in Mexico and we better clean this place up (Wall Street) or we will not be extraditing corruption figures either.