HOUSTON – A Memorial Hermann organ transplant physician appeared in federal court Thursday after being indicted on federal charges related to allegedly falsifying medical records in a way that made liver transplant candidates ineligible for organ donations.
John Stevenson Bynon Jr., 66, has has been charged with five counts of making false statements in health care matters, U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei announced Thursday.
KPRC 2 News’s Deven Clarke was in federal court today where Bynon pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors agreed to a $100,000 unsecured bond, but the judge said she was uncomfortable with that, citing Bynon’s substantial assets and possible flight risk.
The defense pushed back and said Bynon’s family and assets are local, and they argued there is no evidence to support the charges.
According to the judge, the charges are not frivolous, citing the grand jury’s decision to indict Bynon. A $2 million secured bond was set, either cash by Feb. 13 or his home instead of cash by Feb. 20.
The judge granted the prosecutors’ request to unseal the indictment.
Following the hearing, Bynon’s attorney Samy Khalil spoke with KPRC 2, saying:
"Everything that he did was lawful and in good faith...And were going to have a more substantive statement to submit in writing but we look forward to clearing his name in a court of law and educating frankly the government on the medical concepts that undergird this totally misguided prosecution."
KPRC 2 first reported the situation in April 2024, when Bynon’s arrest was first announced. He was arrested just days after Memorial Hermann announced it was halting its liver and kidney transplant programs.
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In the following weeks, KPRC 2 spoke to Houston families whose loved ones died while waiting for transplants at Memorial Hermann.
Bynon surrendered to federal authorities and was scheduled to appear before a federal judge at 2 p.m.
The federal indictment was returned on Jan. 14, 2026. In it, federal prosecutors allege Bynon made false statements in patients’ medical records that effectively blocked them from receiving organ offers through UNOS.
Patients, their families, and even other members of their care teams were unaware of the alleged false information, records say.
Many patients reportedly remained ineligible for months without knowing they were unable to receive donor organ offers during that time.
The indictment also alleges patients continued receiving care that Medicare paid for as if they were eligible to receive donor organ offers.
Federal officials said the allegations represent a serious breach of medical ethics and patient trust.
“Dr. Bynon is alleged to have betrayed the most sacred duty of a medical professional—to heal,” Ganjei said in a statement announcing the indictment.
Bynon served as Director of Abdominal Organ Transplantation and Surgical Director for Liver Transplantation at Memorial Hermann’s Texas Medical Center.
Patients under his care were placed on the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) liver transplant waitlist.
Some patients who were victims of the alleged fabrications suffered what court records described as “severe outcomes.”
Two patients later sought care elsewhere after the alleged false statements were discovered and ultimately received organ transplants.
If convicted on the federal counts, Bynon faces up to five years in federal prison and up to a $250,000 fine per count.
As part of his bond conditions, Bynon must surrender his passport and cannot travel outside of Harris County without permission.
A pretrial conference is scheduled for March 30, with the trial set to begin on April 6.