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URBANA – The man who convinced Amish families in Douglas County he could cure whatever ailed them by pounding their necks with a bizarre electric-powered “Wellness Vibrator” is on his way to federal prison.

Lonnie W. Lynch Jr. was sentenced to a year and a day Friday when he appeared in U.S. District Court in Urbana. He was given a three-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to one count of operating a medical device not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, and a 12-month sentence after admitting to one count of tax evasion. The sentences will run concurrently. He was was ordered to report to prison July 31.

Lynch, who lives in Florida, was also ordered serve three years of supervised release when he gets out of prison, including three months of home confinement. He was additionally told to repay more than $94,000 he owes the IRS.

The federal charges against Lynch arose from him visiting Amish communities in Douglas County between May and July 2008 and using his “Wellness Vibrator” to treat everything from back pain to bad headaches. He often charged more than $200 for his treatments.

In 2009, he pleaded guilty in Douglas County Circuit Court to the illegal practice of medicine and was sentenced to 18 months' probation and ordered to pay $2,000 in court costs.