Doctor Wants to Change Plea in Acupuncture Case
Lawyers for a former state acupuncture official who pleaded no contest to taking bribes in exchange for helping others pass licensing exams say that Chae Woo Lew now wants to change his plea to not guilty.
Prosecutors contended in Los Angeles County Superior Court that Lew, 53, a San Mateo acupuncturist, was paid at least $500,000 to rig the state licensing exam from 1982 until 1988. In exchange for Lew’s no-contest pleas to two bribery-related conspiracy counts, prosecutors had dropped 56 bribery charges, according to the district attorney’s office.
Lew’s new lawyer, Ezekiel Perlo, said: “There is some question as to whether Dr. Lew understood the intricacies of the case.” A hearing on a motion to retract the original pleas is set for Jan. 26. Lew’s bail was increased last week to $100,000.
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