Charlotte chiropractor sentenced to prison for boy or girl sexual intercourse abuse

Stuart White, a Charlotte chiropractor who was convicted last month for felony child sexual abuse, has been sentenced to serve 25 years in a Texas prison.

White, 66, has worked as a chiropractor for Synergy Holistic Health in Charlotte’s Cotswold neighborhood.

A jury in Harris County, Texas, convicted White of super aggravated sexual assault with a child under 6, a first-degree felony. On Tuesday, a Texas judge sentenced him to 25 years.

The criminal complaint alleged that he sexually assaulted his five-year-old daughter. That daughter, now a teenager, testified in the case, according to John Donnelly, a spokesman for the Harris County District Attorney’s office.

Angela Weltin, a Houston lawyer who is representing White, told The Charlotte Observer Thursday that “efforts are underway to appeal the case and apply for a new trial.”

“Family and friends are distraught and dismayed over the conviction of Stuart White in what they see as concerted effort by ex-wife to ruin him,” Weltin wrote in an email.

In a recent letter to his patients here, White maintained he was falsely accused of abusing children from a former marriage. He’s committed to clearing his name, he wrote.

“I am appalled by the disturbing accusations leveled against me, as they are both disgusting and inconceivable,” his Dec. 19 letter states. “I want to emphatically state that I would never engage in such reprehensible actions.”

Under Texas state law, those convicted of that sexual assault charge aren’t eligible for parole, Donnelly said.

“That means he’ll be 91 before he gets out,” Donnelly said.

Licensing board: White didn’t disclose charge

White was charged with the offense in 2014, three days after his ex-wife filed for divorce, according to the Houston Chronicle.

White’s chiropractic license was renewed in November, according to Joe Siragusa, executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Chiropractic Examiners. When White applied for license renewal, “he failed to disclose any criminal proceedings or investigations,” Siragusa wrote in an email to The Observer.

“An intentional failure to disclose investigations or convictions in the renewal application may be grounds for professional discipline,” Siragusa wrote.

White’s current wife, Nicole Fodel, “is doing everything possible to hire the best appellate attorney to fight this false charge,” the chiropractic office stated in a recent email to patients.

Fodel also works as a chiropractor and acupuncturist at the office. She could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Another letter accompanying that email invited people to contribute money “to restore Stuart’s freedom and exonerate his name.”