A Houston physician has been indicted on charges of falsifying medical records, which allegedly made some patients ineligible for organ transplants. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei for the Southern District of Texas.
John Stevenson Bynon Jr., 66, surrendered to federal authorities and is scheduled for an initial court appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dena H. Palermo.
According to the indictment, returned on January 14, Bynon served as Director of Abdominal Organ Transplantation and Surgical Director for Liver Transplantation at Memorial Hermann Health System’s Texas Medical Center in Houston. He was responsible for activating patients on the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) liver transplant waitlist while they awaited organ donations.
The indictment alleges that Bynon entered false information into patient medical records, making them functionally ineligible to receive donor organs through UNOS. It is alleged that neither the patients nor their families or other members of their care teams were aware of these false statements. Some patients reportedly remained unaware and ineligible for months, unable to receive donor organ offers during that period.
“Dr. Bynon is alleged to have betrayed the most sacred duty of a medical professional—to heal,” said Ganjei. “According to the indictment, he stole years and hope from those who trusted him most by falsifying records and preventing patients from receiving organ transplants. Rest assured, the Southern District of Texas will continue to seek justice for every victim in this case.”
“Ultimately, at the center of this case are vulnerable patients who hung their hope of survival on a nationally renowned surgeon now federally charged for manipulating their medical records,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Jason Hudson of the FBI Houston Field Office. “Dr. Bynon is accused of manipulating the criteria of patients on organ transplant waiting lists, thereby allegedly manipulating the patients’ chance of survival. Today’s indictment makes it clear that the FBI will investigate allegations of patient harm regardless of how reputable and respected the practitioner is or the hospital system they work for.”
“Falsely manipulating organ transplant eligibility endangers lives and undermines the integrity of our health care system,” said Special Agent in Charge Jason E. Meadows with the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “The allegations in this indictment, if proven true, represent a grave betrayal of medical ethics and patient trust. HHS-OIG will work with our law enforcement partners to ensure that anyone who falsifies medical records to manipulate patient care is stopped, caught and held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
The indictment also claims that because other healthcare providers were not aware of Bynon's actions or statements, affected patients continued receiving health benefits paid by Medicare as if they were eligible for donor organs.
Some patients experienced serious health outcomes; two sought treatment elsewhere after discovering false statements had been made about them and ultimately received transplants at different facilities.
Bynon faces five counts related to making false statements in healthcare matters; each count carries a potential sentence up to five years in prison and a maximum fine up to $250,000 if convicted.
The investigation was conducted by both FBI agents and HHS-OIG personnel. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sherin Daniel and Suzanne Elmilady are prosecuting.
An indictment represents only an accusation; defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty through due process.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas handles federal criminal prosecutions as well as civil cases involving government interests across 43 counties with offices located throughout Houston, Galveston, Corpus Christi, Laredo, McAllen, and Brownsville [source]. This office employs more than 200 attorneys serving over nine million residents [source] as part of its role within the U.S Department of Justice under supervision from the Attorney General [source]. Notable past leaders include Alamdar Hamdani (2022-2025) among others [source].
