Judge Allows Accused Dentist to Travel for Award

Dr. Hamada Makarita, , will be allowed to travel to Toronto for a dentistry award later this month. 

U.S. Magistrate Judge John F. Anderson granted Makarita temporary access from April 26 to April 29 to his passport to receive a mastership award from the International Congress of Oral Implantologists. He must return his passport to the probabtion office April 30. 

"This is a significant achievement in Mr. Makarita's career, and he requests that he be allowed to present when he is recognized," James Tate, Makarita's lawyer, wrote in the motion filed April 2. 

The prosecution argued Makarita should not be allowed access to his passport because he is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Egypt who presents a flight risk.

"(T)he receipt of an award in person from an international body is a frivolous excuse for lifting the already loose travel restrictions this court has placed on the Defendant," prosecutors wrote in the response to the motion April 5. U.S. Attorney Neil MacBride and Special Assistant United States Attorney Mazen Basrawi signed the response.

During his initial appearance March 15, U.S. Magistrate Judge T. Rawles Jones Jr. ordered Makarita to surrender his Drug Enforcement Administration license and travel documents, and prohibited him from prescribing drugs in any extent as conditions of his release.

On March 20, Jones modified the conditions of Hamada Makarita's release to allow him to prescribe certain antibiotics. He is permitted to prescribe Amoxicillin, Erythromycin and Clindamycin.

Makarita, who has not yet been indicted, faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison if convicted.

Patch Editors Lauren Sausser and Rachel Leonard contributed to this report.