An Illinois man faces charges after he allegedly convinced a company to finance a health care tablet computer named after Star Trek’s Dr. McCoy as part of a scheme prosecutors are calling pure science fiction.

Howard Leventhal, who was arrested at his home north of Chicago earlier this week, is charged with fraudulently impersonating Health Canada officials including former deputy minister Glenda Yeates and with bilking a Florida firm out of $800,000 (U.S.)

Prosecutors allege the scheme came complete with phony domain names, telephone numbers and email addresses that closely resembled those used at Health Canada.

They say Leventhal promoted the McCoy Home Health Tablet, a telemedicine device he said could beam detailed patient data instantaneously to physicians and other licensed medical care providers.

Leventhal brokered an agreement with Paragon Financial Group, Inc. of Fort Lauderdale that saw Paragon “advance” cash in exchange for its right to collect a larger sum of money purportedly owed to Neovision by Health Canada, the prosecution says.

Paragon believed it was investing in technology that could help save lives, prosecutors say, even though there was no agreement between Health Canada and Neovision and Yeates’ signature on the contract was a forgery.

Leventhal also tried to persuade a potential investor to put more than $2.5 million (U.S.) into the project, but the high net worth individual in Brooklyn was in reality an undercover FBI agent.

The agent said Leventhal claimed that his company, Neovision USA, Inc., had a lucrative contract to supply Health Canada with the McCoy tab.

Leventhal, who was freed on a $100,000 bond after appearing in Federal Court in Chicago on Tuesday, has a court date in Brooklyn next week. He faces a maximum 20 years in prison.

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