IVF physician accused of utilizing his OWN sperm to impregnate shoppers
- Gayle Fedele had fertility treatment by Dr Joseph Plautz in Las Vegas in 1984
- Twin children Allison Vece and Kevin Phelps later discovered he was the father
- DNA tests online revealed Plautz’s children were their half-siblings
Twin siblings discovered an IVF doctor impregnated their mother with his own sperm and was their biological father.
Allison Vece and Kevin Phelps were born in 1985 after their mother Gayle Fedele was given fertility treatment by Dr Joseph Plautz in Las Vegas.
Decades later, when Allison started getting crippling migraines, both she and Fedele asked Plautz about the donor’s medical history.
He told them the records were destroyed in a fire at the sperm bank, the Rocky Mountain Cryobank in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
They believed him, but later after Plautz died in 2015, they both took DNA tests online and were shocked to discover the doctor’s children were their half-siblings.
Allison Vece and Kevin Phelps were born in 1985 after their mother Gayle Fedele was given fertility treatment
Vece and Phelps as children, raised without knowing a sperm donor was their father until they were 15
The siblings discovered that had 13 half-siblings and more than 40 nieces and nephews – all sharing the doctor’s DNA.
Dr Joseph Plautz, who died in 2015, is accused of impregnating patients with his own sperm
Plautz is one of dozens of fertility doctors accused in recent years of inseminating clients with their own sperm, sometimes fathering more than 50 children.
Many, like Vece and Phelps, discovered the truth through DNA websites like 23&Me, which match samples to an online database to find long-lost relatives.
Fedele and her children are suing Plautz’s estate, his former practice Deseret Women’s Health Care, and Dignity Health in Henderson, Nevada, which was at the time called St Rose de Lima Hospital.
Vece felt she was violated a second time as she became Plautz’s patient from when she was 17, and received cervical screenings and breast exams from him.
‘The fact that he did a cervical screening on me and a breast examination… I feel completely violated,’ she told KTNV.
Her mother added: ‘When we both found out with the DNA that her own father examined her, and lied to us, it was just… It consumes us.’
Fedele with her husband Lee soon after the twins were born
A photo of Fedele around the time she sought fertility treatment from Plautz
Vece (right) with her eldest daughter Kaydence (left), a model, who is biologically Plautz’s granddaughter
Fedele and Vece now live in Connecticut but Phelps, who is single, said he was afraid to date anyone because he still lives in Las Vegas – and may have already slept with a relative.
‘I don’t know that I haven’t. I have a fear of dating now. I’m unable to date because I was born and raised here and I’m afraid I’m going to go on a date with my half-sister,’ he said.
Fedele was inseminated on Father’s Day, June 17, 1984, at Plautz’s clinic at St Rose de Lima Hospital, after a 15-minute waiting time.
She was 31, and knew her biological clock was ticking after she failed to conceive with her husband Lee.
Fedele requested a sperm donor who was Caucasian, under 45 years old, tall, with blonde hair and blue eyes, so they would look like him.
‘Dr Plautz informed Ms Fedele that the donor was likely to be a student from a nearby medical school, but he joked that the donor might also be a “ski bum” from Wyoming,’ the lawsuit read.
‘At no time did Dr Plautz discuss or inform Ms Fedele that she might be inseminated with his own semen, nor did Ms Fedele authorize or in any way give permission to Dr Plautz to artificially inseminate her with his own semen.’
Fedele ‘trusted him completely with her body, heart, and mind’ and came back for a second insemination days later.
Vece (right), Phelps (second from right) and Fedele (third from right) with their younger brother Nick and Vece’s four children
Lee Phelps holding the twins as newborns. He died months before his children knew the truth about their parentage
DNA results on online databases revealed relatives of Plautz were Vece and Phelps’ half-siblings and nieces or nephews
Phelps and Vece was born nine months later and nothing seemed amiss for decades, until they asked for the medical records.
‘Due to ongoing health issues and complications, including but not limited to severe migraine headaches Ms Vece suffered, Ms Fedele requested information about the sperm donor that was the biological father of Ms Vece,’ the lawsuit read.
‘Dr Plautz informed Ms Fedele that there was a fire at the sperm bank and all of the relevant medical records were destroyed in the fire.
‘Ms Fedele trusted Dr Plautz and his representations that the sperm bank had a fire and relevant records were destroyed, as she had no reason to suspect that it was not true, and she trusted Dr Plutz completely and had a great deal of confidence in him.’
Two years later, Vece asked Plautz herself, and was given the same answer about the fire.
Fedele only dug into her doctor’s story in 2022, and couldn’t find any record of a fire at the sperm bank, which closed in 2009.
Fedele with the twins as children, along with their younger brother Nick
Fedele with her granddaughter Kaydence and her high school graduation last year
Phelps (left) and Vece (right) as newborn babies
Curious about his heritage, Phelps did a DNA test in March 2021 and found several half-siblings, but assumed they were ‘related to the random sperm donor’ and didn’t share the results with his family.
Vece a year later became suspicious when she watched Netflix documentary Our Father about another fertility doctor who impregnated his patients.
That was when Phelps shared his results and they realized the awful truth about their parentage.
‘At or around May 15, 2022, Ms Vece called her mother in tears and informed Ms. Fedele that her biological father was likely Dr Plautz,’ the lawsuit read.
‘Ms Fedele was devastated and outraged. Between June 2022 and July 2022, Ms Vece took two different genetic tests from 23 &Me DNA and Ancestry DNA.
‘The results of the DNA tests confirmed that Ms Vece had numerous half-siblings who are Dr Plautz’s biological children.’
Plautz had 10 children, 31 grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren, according to his obituary.
Vece and Phelps on a family fishing trip years before they did the DNA tests
Fedele and Vece together on a fishing trips years after Plautz died
Fedele reads to her twin children in bed in an old photo
‘We did one of those Ancestry DNA tests. And up pops a bunch of half-siblings! And one of the last names was Plautz, and my sister immediately recognized the name,’ Phelps recalled.
‘And it was shocking!’ Allison added. ‘I actually screamed. I dropped to the ground. My kids were like, what? What mom, what?! I was like… He’s our father!’
Vece said Plautz’s offspring refused to admit what he did to his patients.
‘We’ve been told that we’re liars, even though we have DNA proof to match with them. They don’t want to believe that their father is capable of this,’ she said.
The lawsuit claimed Plautz did not undergo any genetic screening ‘or actions to ensure that there was no risk of genetic risk of conditions or illnesses that risk the health and safety of Ms Fedele’s children’.
‘His DNA is problematic because it contains hereditary and genetic conditions which give rise to serious health risks for Ms Vece and Mr Phelps and their children,’ it claimed.
Phelps and Vece was born nine months after their mother’s fertility treatment and nothing seemed amiss for decades, until they asked for the medical records
Vece and Phelps as grownups, before they discovered who their biological father was
The lawsuit, which was filed in amended form on April 2, demands $60,000 in damages.
Nevada previously passed a law banning doctors from using their sperm to impregnate patients, and Vece and Fedele want the same in Connecticut.
‘What this doctor did to us was completely incomprehensible and unethical. He made a medical oath to protect his patients but instead lied and used his power of authority to do what he wanted,’ Vece said in a speech to state lawmakers.
‘He ruined our faith in the medical system. We have since found out we have 13 half-siblings and 40-plus nieces and nephews.’
However, the bill was dropped last month for reassessment – though it could be reconsidered this year.
