A Houston transplant surgeon surrendered to federal authorities after a grand jury indicted him for allegedly falsifying medical records that blocked his own patients from receiving life-saving organ donations.
Dr. John Stevenson Bynon Jr., 66, faces five counts of making false statements in health care matters, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). The indictment, returned Jan. 14, alleges that Bynon served as director of abdominal organ transplantation at Memorial Hermann Health System’s Texas Medical Center.
Prosecutors say he entered false information into patient records that rendered them unable to receive organ offers through the national transplant network. Patients and their families had no idea the changes had been made. Many remained ineligible for months without knowing. (RELATED: Officials Charge Army Doctor With Secretly Filming Dozens Of Women Amid Medical Exams)
“Dr. Bynon is alleged to have betrayed the most sacred duty of a medical professional—to heal,” U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei said in the DOJ announcement. “According to the indictment, he stole years and hope from those who trusted him most by falsifying records and preventing patients from receiving organ transplants.”
Houston transplant doctor indicted for making false statements in patients’ medical records#HouNews #Houston https://t.co/LjkFEyQ4Yz pic.twitter.com/CjYaRXs00J
— US Attorney SDTX (@USAO_SDTX) February 5, 2026
FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Jason Hudson said vulnerable patients trusted a nationally renowned surgeon now facing federal charges. “Dr. Bynon is accused of manipulating the criteria of patients on organ transplant waiting lists, thereby allegedly manipulating the patients’ chance of survival,” Hudson said.
Some patients had impossible criteria entered into the database, Fox News reported. One patient was listed as needing a liver from a 300-pound toddler. Another patient’s eligibility standards have been altered on 14 separate occasions across a two-year span, according to The Houston Chronicle. NYU bioethics professor Arthur Caplan told the Chronicle the practice was “a form of lying and per se unethical.”
Daniel Rodriguez-Corrales told ABC13 his father died while waiting for a transplant at Memorial Hermann. The family never received notification when the program shut down. “It felt at some point they were just toying with them,” he said.
Houston Public Media reported that Memorial Hermann received a rare “not in good standing” designation from the national transplant oversight network in February 2025.
Bynon faces up to five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine on each count if convicted, according to the DOJ.