35. Taking Paris by Storm
Paris agreed quite well with Dr. Petiot. He used fake credentials to attract patients, and before long, he had established a thriving practice in the 9th Arrondissement. It helped that his office gained a reputation as a pill mill, giving out illegal drug prescriptions to all and sundry. Nor did it hurt that the doctor was more than willing to perform illegal abortions for the right price.
However, despite his thriving and highly lucrative practice – made even more lucrative by his tax evasion – Dr. Petiot still persisted with the thefts, petty and grand, of anything that was not nailed down. In 1936, he was institutionalized for kleptomania, but was released the following year.