Michael Brown, MD, the millionaire founder of a half-dozen successful hand surgery centers who touts his family values in television ads in 3 states, has been charged with assaulting his wife.

Dr. Brown of Houston, Texas, allegedly grabbed the arm of his wife, Rachel, on Aug. 13 and twisted it behind her neck "as if he meant to break her arm," according to a press report.

This is the second time that Dr. Brown has been arrested for allegedly assaulting his spouse. The current charges involve the surgeon's fourth wife. In 2002, Dr. Brown pleaded guilty to assaulting his third wife, Darlina Brown, with a bedpost when she was 7 months pregnant.

Dick DeGuerin, Dr. Brown's lawyer, did not return a request for comment for this article. In a statement to the Associated Press, Mr. DeGuerin said that the case was a "private matter between two people who love each other very much."

Dr. Brown, who founded the Brown Hand Center, hasn't practiced medicine since 2006, 4 years after he pleaded guilty to the first charge of assault and the Texas Medical Board revoked his license after he tested positive for cocaine. The current assault charge, a third-degree felony, could result in up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine, according to press reports.

Although he no longer practices, Dr. Brown was appearing in television ads for his Brown Hand Centers in Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Austin and Bedford, Texas, as well as Phoenix, Ariz., and Las Vegas, Nev., up until recently. In the ads, he promotes his signature method for carpal tunnel repair performed in his centers, which gross about $45 million each year, according to the Houston Chronicle. In a commercial that aired heavily in Texas, Nevada and Arizona, Dr. Brown sits with his happy-looking family and says, "The Brown Hand Center will care for you just as I care for my own family."

Off-screen, however, Dr. Brown has had a violent family life. According to a 2002 article in the Houston Press, Dr. Brown returned home from an evening at a topless bar and attacked his third wife, Darlina, who was pregnant. He allegedly dragged her by her hair, tore off a bedpost and beat her. He then pointed a gun at his wife's head.

After Dr. Brown pleaded guilty to the assault, the couple divorced and a court ordered Dr. Brown to pay $5.4 million to Darlina, who later told the Houston Press that as their marriage progressed he had become obsessed with sex and handguns. "The only time he was unarmed was when he was in surgery," says the 2002 article. At home, his ex-wife told the Press, "He wanted sex morning and night, all the time. He was never happy unless he got sex."

Since the first assault, Dr. Brown has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and narcissistic personality disorder, depression and alcohol addiction, according to press reports.

After his arrest in late August, Dr. Brown posted a $40,000 bond and must wear a GPS monitoring device. He's scheduled to appear in court again on Oct. 4. The television commercials have yet to reappear.

Kent Steinriede

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