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Farmington • Criminal charges were dismissed Monday against a Layton chiropractor accused of exploiting the elderly with a weight-loss scheme.
Michael Paul Kunzler, 46, was charged in March with 11 felonies, including exploitation of a vulnerable adult, forgery and communications fraud.
The chiropractor was in 2nd District Court on Monday, when prosecutors asked for the charges against him to be dismissed without prejudice, meaning the case could be refiled in the future.
Davis County Attorney Troy Rawlings said in an email Monday that further investigation and coordination between the assigned prosecutor, the Utah Attorney General's Office and the Department of Professional Licensing was needed before the case could move forward.
Prosecutors had accused Kunzler of using deceptive advertising, including claims that patients could lose weight thanks to a red light in a room at his office. He also had patients pay upfront for diet plans before disclosing what the plan entailed, then refused refunds when patients couldn't participate, according to the charges.
Kunzler's attorney, Mark Moffat, had said that the allegations were without merit.
"We think that when this case is fully vetted, it will demonstrate that Dr. Kunzler did nothing illegal," Moffat has said.
Investigators say they found that Kunzler allegedly marketed "extreme weight loss programs" through deceptive advertising from July 2, 2013 to Jan. 13 of this year.
Kunzler gave his patients a diet of 400 or 500 calories a day and told them that "no exercise was required," DOPL officials noted in a statement.
Several senior citizens paid Kunzler thousands of dollars to participate in the program, according to DOPL, and when they complained and asked for a refund, the chiropractor allegedly refused.
In April, DOPL officials said they would petition to revoke Kunzler's license. However, as of Monday, his chiropractic license was still active and there have been no disciplinary actions filed against him.