Under the Knife: A Beautiful Woman, a Phony Doctor, and a Shocking Homicide (10 page)

His entrepreneurial effort was in its earliest stages when he first started dating Dean. That wasn’t the first time, though, that Greg had noticed him. The two men had been in their early twenties when the initial encounter took place. Greg thought Dean was absolutely gorgeous. He was smitten at first sight.

After a few occasions in which both were at the same place at the same time, Greg finally got up the nerve to approach Dean. It took a lot of gumption for a quiet guy like Greg. It seemed a crowd of people engulfed Dean wherever he went. The first conversation was a flop. Greg felt awkward. Dean looked bored.

A couple of years after that fruitless encounter, Greg walked into a bar and spotted Dean sitting at a table by himself. He still nurtured an enormous crush on Dean and could not believe his luck.

The two men talked together for an hour and a half. Then, Dean gave Greg a ride home. As Greg left the car, the two exchanged phone numbers. To Greg’s dismay, Dean never called.

A while later, Greg was at a friend’s house watching a video of a birthday party on Fire Island. There was Dean. But he wasn’t alone. He was with Michael Hart and it was obvious that the two men were involved in a relationship.

His heart sighed and Greg let go of his infatuation. Still, in the back of his mind he retained an image of Dean as his ideal. He wanted someone in his life with Dean’s good looks and a house outside of the city. It would be a perfect arrangement—Greg’s apartment in town and a getaway outside of Manhattan for when they wanted to escape the bustle.

The night that Dean and Greg both ended up at G, Greg
did not at first recognize Dean—a lot of time passed since the last time their paths crossed and they’d both aged a bit. Christopher Buczek offered to re-introduce Greg to Dean. As they approached, Christopher whispered, “Be sure to tell Dean you’re an internationally ranked swimmer. Dean thinks swimmers are really sexy.”

Greg and Dean spent hours together that evening. Greg parted from him in a state of enchantment. The next day, Dean sealed the deal—he sent Greg a dozen red roses.

A few nights later, when they were together again, Greg confessed, “I’m seeing a lawyer on Long Island.”

“Oh, no problem,” Dean flipped back, “I can handle the competition.”

Greg never thought about that lawyer again. The new couple dated in earnest, enjoying nights at the theater, going to movies and dining at nice restaurants. Together they went to see Jason Opsahl perform in
The Full Monty
and
Broadway Bares
. They had a particularly good time at the Actors’ Equity Show, a one-night benefit performance where actors put on an impromptu musical with script books in hand.

As a rule, Dean paid—and in cash, from a perpetual wad often exceeding $2,000. One notable exception was the night of Dean’s birthday. Greg treated Dean to a Broadway showing of
Rent
. They talked on the phone every night for hours, yearning for more time together.

Soon, nightly phone calls weren’t enough. The couple wanted to be together every night. They had the set-up that Greg had dreamed about—Greg’s convenient mid-town apartment near Penn Station and Dean’s home outside of the city in the peace of Forest Hill.

By New York standards, their living expenses were quite low for a dual-dwelling pair. Greg’s rent was reasonable. Dean rented out the top floor of his carriage house. After that money went toward his mortgage payment,
Dean only needed to shell out an additional $800 each month. The two spent weekends at Dean’s house and stayed at Greg’s place in Manhattan during the week.

Dean’s weekday routine rarely varied. He slept away most of the morning and opened his office between noon and 1
P.M.
, Tuesday through Saturday. He worked until 8 or 9 o’clock at night. It was a smart business move to offer these unconventional hours. It allowed his clients to manage the expensive laser hair removal treatments with a bit more ease, since they did not have to take off work to get an appointment.

After Dean left the office for the evening, he usually stopped by the Equinox gym and lifted weights. Then, he’d grab dinner and take it back to Greg’s apartment. Typically, he’d surf the Internet until sometime after midnight, then head off to bed. Quite the party boy in the eighties, Dean slowed down considerably in the late nineties as he approached his fortieth birthday. For a while, life for Greg and Dean was quiet and domestic.

Both men were open with their families about their relationship. They spent time together with them regularly, receiving affection and acceptance on both sides. “My mother loved Dean,” Greg said, “because I loved him.”

One day in October 1998, Greg Bach was stunned when, without any warning, Dean seemed to disappear off the face of the earth.

FRUSTRATED BY HER INABILITY TO FIND ANYONE WILLING TO
stop Dean Faiello’s illegal practice, Dr. Polis struggled to put the former employee out of her mind. Then she received a notice from a health insurance plan that listed her as a participating provider. “Why,” they wanted to know, “are you writing so many prescriptions for Dean Faiello for Stadol?”

She paused for a moment to process the question. She was not familiar with that drug. She feared that a pad was stolen from her office and her signature forged. Dr. Polis called the company, telling them, “I have written no such prescription. I would like to see a copy of the actual script.”

The health insurance office faxed her a copy and she knew right away that it was fraudulent. It was written on a page from an old pad she’d put in a bin for shredding some time ago—one with a defunct telephone number printed on it. She thought all of those old pads had been destroyed. The signature looked nothing like hers. Someone had to listen to her now; Dean’s forgery violated the law without question.

This time, the Drug Enforcement Agency returned her call immediately. Now, they were interested. At their instruction, she visited three separate police precincts and filled out paperwork, reporting Dean’s theft and forgery.
At one precinct, she overheard the officers mention Dr. Andrew Reyner as another physician connected to Dean. She assumed that he was a victim of theft, too. She had no idea that Dr. Reyner was a willing accomplice.

LAW ENFORCEMENT ATTENTION ZEROED IN ON DEAN FAIELLO.
One of Dean’s former employees confirmed that Dean had in fact stolen prescription pads from Dr. Polis before he left his job at her SoHo clinic. He also voiced suspicions that Dean was performing the types of laser surgery that require a medical license. Authorities arrested Dean and charged him with possession of a controlled substance, forgery and possession of a forged instrument.

Greg spent three days wondering and worrying about what happened to Dean before he got a call. Dean explained that he was at his sister Debra’s house and that he’d been busted. His Dad, Sam, posted his bail and got him out of jail.

IN NOVEMBER, DEAN PLED GUILTY TO THE LESSER MISDE
meanor charge of possession of a forged instrument. The judge sentenced him to 3 years of probation and mandatory drug rehabilitation.

Dean spent six weeks in upstate New York receiving treatment at a clinic. When he returned home, Greg was waiting. He could not abandon Dean in his time of need—Greg loved him. Dean said to Greg, “If anything happens to me, I want to bequeath my house to you. You love this house more than I do.” Greg was touched; it reinforced his belief in Dean’s love.

Greg celebrated Dean’s new sobriety by throwing a magnificent Christmas Eve dinner party for both of their families at the Newark house. As a professional event planner, Greg knew how to create the perfect occasion. The house and grounds were a Christmas wonderland once
again. A tall, symmetrical Christmas tree covered with unique gold and red ornaments and tiny white lights set the mood. The dining room with its red walls was the centerpiece. The dining table sat before a large window and gleamed from the brilliant glow of wall sconces. On its surface, clusters of red roses and bows complemented silver serving pieces, crystal goblets rimmed with gold and bright white dinner plates on golden chasers. Madame Jeritza would have been delighted by Greg’s holiday transformation of the home.

Dean’s mother Carmel, his sister Debra and her partner, a New Jersey state public defender, mingled with Greg’s parents and family. No one knew that Carmel Faiello’s body—in remission from uterine cancer for years—was about to betray her once again.

SKINOVATIONS, ALTHOUGH DORMANT FOR WEEKS, WAS WAITING
for Dean’s return to pump up business and get income flowing. The time spent away from his office created serious financial difficulties. Greg loaned him $8,000 to get current on his mortgage payment.

Dean’s new commitment to abstinence from drugs and alcohol made it possible for him to work hard and regain his footing. He expanded his work week to six days—Tuesday through Sunday—which, combined with longer work days, brought in the cash he needed to get up to date on his laser equipment leases and put his economic life back on track. He faithfully paid Greg $600 every month toward his debt.

Dean’s CPE license lapsed at the end of 1998. He had not reported any CEUs (Continuing Education Units) to the American Electrology Association. Dean had taken classes but had not kept up on the paperwork. This lapse was not unusual for someone in his field. Many electrologists neglect to renew their membership in the organization
and yet continue to practice, placing “CPE” after their names. The certification, after all, bears no legal significance. Many believe that once earned, a CPE is theirs in perpetuity.

A far more serious concern loomed in Dean’s professional life, one he had no knowledge of at the time. His arrest for forging prescriptions attracted the notice of the Office of Professional Discipline—an agency within New York’s Department of Education. On December 23, 1998, Kathy Hearn, an undercover operative of the agency, made an appointment with Dean.

She showed Dean a spot of discolored pigmentation. Dean diagnosed it as a benign skin lesion. Overstepping the medical bounds with this pronouncement posed a potential danger to the patient. Most doctors would advise a biopsy before coming to that conclusion and taking action. Instead, Dean offered to remove the lesion with laser treatments. She would not feel any pain during the procedure, he told her, because he would administer a local anesthetic. Again, Dean stepped into territory under the purview of licensed physicians, not cosmetic practitioners.

Hearn filed a report with her office. They referred the case to the office of the state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer for prosecution. Officials there decided not to press charges at that time because they wanted more evidence of wrong-doing. They encouraged the department of education to continue their investigation.

Dean dodged a bullet without even knowing how close it whizzed by his head. It looked like 1999 would be a great year—until fate intervened, driving Dean back to abuse of alcohol and then the harder stuff.

Early in the year, Carmel Faiello was diagnosed with a recurrence of cancer. Years before, doctors had diagnosed uterine cancer, but after surgery and radiation treatment, she went into remission. In 1999, she had a problem with
her epiglottis—the flap of cartilage that lies behind the tongue and in front of the entrance to the larynx. At rest in its normal functioning, this valve-like structure remains upright, allowing air to pass through. During swallowing, it is supposed to fold back and cover the entrance to the windpipe.

Carmel’s epiglottis was stuck in the upright position, allowing food and drink to enter the lungs, and air to enter her stomach. Doctors recommended surgery to repair the valve. When they made the incision, they discovered rampant cancer, including a large tumor in her stomach. Her condition was inoperable. They stitched her back together and left her to die.

Whenever Dean paid his mother a visit at Debra’s house, he butted heads with his sister and her partner, who did not want Carmel to take sleeping pills. They wanted to provide holistic care for her in her final days.

Dean, however, agonized over his mother’s pain and inability to sleep. He decided to slip her drugs without letting her, his sister or the doctor know. When Greg found out about it, it instigated their first fight.

It was on Greg’s birthday. He spent the day expecting Dean to call. Every hour that the phone did not ring was a disappointment. It made Greg a little upset to spend his birthday all alone, but he wasn’t angry with Dean. He knew his boyfriend’s mother was dying, and his forgetfulness—although it saddened him—was understandable.

Late that night—with barely an hour of his special day left—the phone finally rang. Instead of wishing Greg a happy birthday, though, Dean launched into a diatribe about the difficulty of crushing up sleeping pills into his mother’s gelato.

“Why are you doing that?” Greg asked.

“I can’t let Mom or Debra know I’m giving them to her.”

“You can’t do that, Dean,” Greg screamed. “You don’t know what other medications she’s taking. You don’t know if the pills you’re giving her will have a bad interaction with the other drugs.”

“She can’t sleep, Greg. She’s in too much pain. I can’t just sit here and watch her suffer.”

“You can’t drug people without their knowledge, Dean.”

Dean slammed down the phone. Greg sighed. He knew Dean was acting out of compassion, but he also knew his actions could have deadly consequences.