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A fake podiatrist who conducted more than 600 sham consultations has had his two-year jail term replaced with community service after he appealed against the sentence.
David Nasr was sentenced to imprisonment in May after pleading guilty to 16 charges – the most punitive sentence imposed on someone prosecuted by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
Nasr, who was never a registered podiatrist, conducted 603 consultations in patients’ homes and 14 aged care facilities in Sydney between November 2023 and May 2025 via his Step Care Podiatry business.
Almost all the patients were extremely vulnerable and had significant health issues and disabilities.
In an appeal hearing on July 15, Nasr’s original jail sentence was replaced by 200 hours of community service work.
Nasr misrepresented himself as a “master podiatrist” and used fraudulent documents to secure contracts with businesses supporting aged care facilities and in-home care services.
He started a bachelor of podiatry but did not complete the degree and has never been eligible for registration.
Nasr provided potential clients with copies of a fake registration certificate and secured contracts to provide podiatry services for businesses providing allied health services.
After becoming aware of AHPRA’s investigation, Nasr attempted to hide his wrongdoing by assuming the name of a registered practitioner.
He continued to practice while charges were before the court, leading to more charges.
In April 2025, Nasr pleaded guilty to five counts of holding himself out as a registered podiatrist, one count of claiming to be qualified to practise as a podiatrist, and five counts of taking a description indicating he was a podiatrist, AHPRA told Judge Lucas Swan in 2025.
In February 2026, he pleaded guilty to a further five counts of holding himself out as a registered practitioner.
In his original sentencing, Judge Swan said Nasr’s offending was “aggravated by the fact the victims in this matter were vulnerable, indeed some of our most vulnerable members of the community, some of whom were suffering significant health issues, all of which could have been catastrophic for them given the person providing treatment was not registered”.
“It is further aggravated by the fact that [he] conceded that it was for financial gain, and occurred in the homes of the victims,” Judge Swan said.
At the time, AHPRA chief executive Justin Untersteiner said: “Pretending to be a registered health practitioner is a crime that puts people at risk of serious physical, emotional and financial harm.”
A joint investigation by this masthead and 60 Minutes in 2023 revealed patients were being disfigured by podiatric surgeons and then horrified to discover these practitioners could perform invasive surgery without a medical degree or mainstream surgical training.
From October, podiatric surgeons will be required to rebrand as “surgical podiatrists” after a review found widespread confusion among patients and the wider public about their level of qualification.
Under an intensive Ccorrections order, Nasr will be supervised by community corrections officers and complete.
