Ballantyne surgeon’s medical license suspended following $17M fraud scheme
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A Charlotte-based hair restoration surgeon cannot reapply for his North Carolina medical license until at least 2027, the state medical board announced Thursday.
The board indefinitely suspended the license of Dr. Bruce Howard Marko following his role in a $17 million, multi-state bank fraud scheme that began in 2018. Marko, now 67, conspired with three other men to defraud at least 17 banks, participating directly in at least five fraudulent loans to obtain over $2.8 million, according to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina.
Marko was seeking funds to invest in a real estate development project in Las Vegas, according to the medical board. When he couldn’t get loans through other means, he — with the help of two co-conspirators — secured the fraudulent loans, telling the financial institutions the money would be used for medical equipment purchases. Marko submitted falsified documents to the banks, including tax returns that overstated his income and false financial statements showing assets in a nonexistent investment account.
“Based on the misrepresentations made by Dr. Marko, the financial institutions wired the loan proceeds to fake medical equipment company accounts controlled by Person A who then wired funds to an account controlled by Person B, who in turn wired funds to an account controlled by Dr. Marko. Dr. Marko then wired the funds to entities associated with his Las Vegas project,” the medical board’s April 9 order states. Persons A and B referenced in the letter refer to two of Marko’s three co-defendants: Kotto Yaphet Paul, 50, of Waxhaw, Latoya Tamieka Ford, 50, of Covington, Georgia, and Love Norman, 50, of West Palm Beach, Florida.
Marko pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud and was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison last April. He was ordered to pay back $1.5 million of the ill-gotten funds. A federal tax lien related to the ruling was placed on his Ballantyne townhome last May. The 4-bedroom, 3-bath townhome is worth about $600,000, according to Zillow.
Marko voluntarily surrendered his medical license on July 2, 2025, according to the medical board.
He was released from federal prison this February, Federal Bureau of Prison records show. Marko could not be reached for comment.
Marko ran a hair transplant clinic in Ballantyne, where he specialized in a minimally invasive hair transplant technique that first gained popularity in the early 2000s. He’d been in trouble with the state medical board before: In 2009, the board stayed a 12-month suspension it issued against his medical license for unethical conduct. The board accused him of “fee-splitting” and of assisting a Florida company that he received advertising and marketing services from in the unlicensed corporate practice of medicine.
Marko attended medical school at the University of Nebraska and later completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology, and a hair transplantation fellowship, in Orlando. He was first licensed to practice medicine in North Carolina in 1996, according to the board.
Although Marko can apply to reinstate his medical license on Jan. 1 of next year, he would be required to submit any information the board requests to verify he’s complying with all rules and regulations and to submit to an investigative interview if requested, the board’s order states.
Four other co-defendants in the fraud scheme — Amrish D. Patel, Dwight A. Peebles, Jr., Denise Woodard and Derrick L. Harrison — were serving 15 to 36 months in prison for their involvement as of last April.
This story was originally published April 13, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Ballantyne surgeon’s medical license suspended following $17M fraud scheme."