Will the real Dr. Polantin stand up?

Sue Doyle

It’s no surprise to the psychiatrist who was choked and robbed in 1978 by

his alleged impostor that the same man who attacked him reportedly lived

a life behind a mask of identities.

Although Dr. Peter Polantin overcame the effects of the physical attack,

he wonders if the impostor game will ever end for the person once known

as Carmi Bar-Ilan.

Bar-Ilan allegedly assumed Polantin’s identity for two years and worked

at Patton State Hospital in San Bernardino County as a psychiatrist for

the criminally insane.

Polantin didn’t raise an eyebrow when he heard that 22 years later,

Bar-Ilan may again be in trouble with the law -- this time under a

different name.

According to authorities and published reports, Bar-Ilan is suspected of

changing his named to Alan M. Meyers in 1985.

As Meyers, he was fired last week as executive director at the Costa Mesa

Senior Center, amid accusations that he falsified his credentials to get

the job.

No arrest has been made. Costa Mesa police are still investigating the

case.

“I’m not surprised to hear that he hasn’t changed,” Polantin said in a

telephone interview. “He’s exactly the kind of guy who goes on and on and

on. He stays just shy of the limit that allows him to remain -- with just

a slap on the hand.”

The list of accusations against the 59-year-old Meyers, an Anaheim

resident, spans more than 31 years of falsifying credentials to land jobs

at dozens of social service agencies from Arizona to Washington.

Police said it will take a few weeks just to sort through the

investigation.

Officers are focusing on any misrepresentations on Meyers’ resume that

could lead to potential grand theft charges, said Costa Mesa Police Lt.

Ron Smith.

But even the most basic question remains unknown: What is this man’s true

identity? Polantin wondered if Meyers was indeed born Bar-Ilan, or if

that was an assumed identity as well.

The Dallas-based psychiatrist questioned Meyers’ citizenship, which

swings between Canadian and Israeli on documents. Polantin added that he

fears the alleged impostor won’t be stopped by law enforcement because of

his scrambled past.

“I think that a court of law would want to be a little more extreme on

him than a first-timer. This guy has never stopped,” Polantin said.

Meyers is scheduled to appear in court June 14 in Klamath County, Oregon,

where he is accused of stealing money from the Klamath Open Door Family

Practice Center. Meyers has, in published reports, denied the charges.

Meanwhile, his impromptu firing has disrupted the lives of people at the

Costa Mesa Senior Center.

But their days may soon return to the usual pace. The center is expected

to appoint an interim director this week, said Lori Claus, president of

the Senior Center’s board.

Even Polantin has let go of his experience with the mystery man. But he

thinks that Meyers’ suspected pattern of behavior is far from over.

“It’s interesting that this keeps going on and on and on. I fully expect

to get another set of calls in another five years,” Polantin said.