Cape doctor pleads not guilty to fraud charges

A Cape Girardeau physician indicted last week on fraud charges has pleaded not guilty in federal court.

Byron Cornelius Glenn, 57, told a magistrate judge he was not guilty of felony charges of mail fraud and passing fake money orders and checks. He also asked, through his lawyers, for two weeks to prepare for the next phase of federal court proceedings. Judge Lewis M. Blanton set a hearing for March 6 to hear pretrial motions.

The proceedings Monday in the federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau also served as a detention hearing and Blanton ordered Glenn remanded to custody of the federal marshal's, who are housing him at the Cape Girardeau County Jail. Assistant federal prosecutor Morley Swingle argued Glenn is a serious flight risk and is a threat to the community.

Glenn is accused of using three money orders -- one for almost $150,000, another for about $27,000 and a third for almost $490,000 -- "purported to be drawn" on an account using a U.S. Treasury routing number to pay off mortgages.

He also is accused of writing a check using a routing number from a U.S. Federal Reserve Bank in Cleveland for $250,000 to pay to Cape Urgent Care Inc., and of using a $171,000 check to pay First State Community Bank from an account at Bank of America that didn't have sufficient funds. Federal prosecutors say Glenn knew the account was closed and didn't have the money in it to cover the check.

The indictment charges the offenses occurred between July and December 2012.