Doctor who sold bogus COVID vaccination waiver to dog loses medical license

Enlarge / A black Labrador retriever. (credit: Getty | ullstein bild)

A doctor in Tennessee has lost his medical license after a local news investigation revealed he was selling bogus COVID-19 vaccination waivers to essentially anyone—including patients he had never met, patients in far-flung states, and one black Labrador retriever named Charlie.

In a consent order signed May 16, the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners determined Robert Coble had violated state statutes on the grounds of "unprofessional, dishonorable, or unethical conduct," and "making false statements or representations, being guilty of fraud or deceit … in the practice of medicine."

Coble voluntarily surrendered his medical license, effective that day, which is equivalent to a revocation. Coble also agreed to refrain from reapplying for a medical license for at least a year and to pay a $1,000 fine and the costs of the board's investigation of his case, up to $2,000.