A former Merrillville physician who disappeared four years ago in the wake of accusations of fraud and malpractice will help America's Most Wanted kick off its 22nd season.
Dr. Mark Weinberger's former wife, Michelle Kramer, will disclose insights into his character as well as details of his betrayal of her and hundreds of his patients in a two-part program beginning 8 p.m. Saturday, producers of the show said Friday.
Weinberger has been the subject of investigation by federal prosecutors and is named in hundreds of civil lawsuits across Northwest Indiana alleging malpractice.
"The public knows about the patients and lawsuits and the allegations," said Angeline Hartmann, a correspondent for America's Most Wanted. "We are trying to take a different approach to the show. We do it from the perspective of (Michelle Kramer) and everything she went through. He left behind a woman who thought he was Prince Charming.
"Women never think their Prince Charming will change into some guy who is going to be on America's Most Wanted."
Weinberger operated the Merrillville Center for Advanced Surgery LLC and Nose and Sinus Centers LLC, a successful health care business at 255 E. 90th Drive in Merrillville from its grand opening in November 2002 until 2004, when he disappeared during a European holiday trip.
Hartmann said Kramer will provide viewers with details of their marriage and Weinberger's spectacular rise.
America's Most Wanted Web page offers a preview of Weinberger's lifestyle, including a small army of personal assistants and a limo driver who brought him to work every day.
It culminates with the couple's trip to Greece in 2004 where the couple stayed on an 80-foot yacht with a brief trip onshore to go diamond shopping. Weinberger then disappeared.
Hartmann said Kramer has traveled around the world in unsuccessful attempts to track her husband down. He also is the subject of an FBI manhunt.
"We think putting all this effort into it will help bring him in," Hartmann said. "We reach 8 to 12 million viewers, and we have about 1,030 fugitive captures in our 22 seasons. We'd like to make him one of the 1,031."
