A.k.a. Dr. Gary
Gary Kompothecras is a Florida chiropractor with quite a bit of money and particularly strong anti-vaccine beliefs. The money can be used to purchase political influence, of course. Kompothecras did for instance contribute heavily to Charlie Crist’s campaign and was subsequently appointed to the governor’s task force on autism. He used his influence to bully Florida health officials in support of quackery, in particular Mark & David Geier’s Lupron protocol, and he got the governor’s office to put weight behind his bullying – which included requests to violate HIPAA in the process. In fact, Kompothecras is a big contributor to the Geiers’ antivaxx organization CoMeD (whose president is one Rev. Lisa K. Sykes, an interesting qualification given the nature of the effort).
Kompothecras also pushed for a weakening of Florida’s vaccine requirements for public schools. Indeed, he managed to get himself the nickname “rainmaker” because of his political connections.
Diagnosis: Although he’s not among the loudest or most often cited members of the denialist movement, Kompothecras is certainly one of the more dangerous – few would be able to cause as extensive damage as him. Definitely one to keep an eye on.