BREAKING: 'Dr. Evil,' Cancer Doc in Medicare Fraud, Learns His Fate

A federal judge on Friday sentenced Dr. Farid Fata – the Oakland County oncologist dubbed “Dr. Evil” for prescribing medically unnecessary cancer treatments for more than 550 former patients, including some who were never sick – to 45 years in federal prison in a conspiracy to defraud Medicare and Blue Cross Blue Shield of millions of dollars.

U.S. District Judge Paul D. Borman handed down the sentence after several days of gripping, emotional testimony from victims and their family members. Fata was arrested in 2013 in what federal prosecutors called one of the most egregious Medicare fraud cases ever because it exploited sick people at a vulnerable point in their lives.

Borman said his role was to impose “a very significant sentence for very, very terrible conduct,” according to tweets on a Detroit Free Press live blog. “This is a huge, horrific series of criminal acts that were committed by the defendant,”

Borman noted the case is “unusually large,” not just in terms of the fraud but also in the psychological and physical injuries inflicted on patients who received the treatments.

The judge noted Fata’s previously clean criminal record “until he practiced greed and shut down whatever compassion he had.”

Fata, 50 pleaded guilty to 13 counts of health-care fraud, two counts of money laundering, and one count of conspiring to pay and receive kickbacks in September. The government says Fata billed the insurance companies $34 million for the unnecessary services and received $17.6 million, which he has agreed to forfeit.

Fata reportedly wept uncontrollably as he addressed the court in the packed and overflowing courtroom.

He said he was “horribly ashamed,” had violated his medical oath and had caused anguish and hardship for his former patients.

“I misused my talents … because of power and greed,” he said. “My quest for power is self-destructive.”

Fata’s attorney, Christopher Andreoff, pleaded for mercy from the court. The “public outcry has been very difficult to deal with,” the lawyer said.

The defense argued for 25 years, saying that he is diabetic, that could be a life sentence for the 50-year-old man. His wife and children have moved out of the country, and he has had no visitors in jail. “He’s lost everything,” Andreoff said.

Fata had operated oncology centers in Clarkston, Bloomfield Hills, Lapeer, Sterling Heights, Troy and Oak Park.

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The court took the unusual step of hearing from victims before the sentencing. Nearly two dozen of them took the stand, referring to the disgraced oncologist as “a monster,” “a cowardly bastard” and “Dr. Evil.”

Others referred to themselves as victims of the “Fata Holocaust,” said the disgraced oncologist had committed “medical genocide,” and called him “a cancer on the medical community.”

»Read more about what victims had to say about Dr. Farid Fata here.

A former coworker of Fata’s triggered the investigation when he told the business manager at one the physician’s clinics that he had discovered during follow-up care that a patient had never had cancer.

“My suspicion was this is not the only case,” Dr. Soe Maunglay told The Detroit News. “My suspicion was there had to be a lot more.”

Also on Patch:

• Watchdog: Detroit Metro Hot Spot for Medicare Drug Fraud

He reported his suspicions to the clinic’s practice business manager, George Karadsheh, who informed the FBI of Fata’s potential crimes. On Aug. 5, 2013, Karadsheh filed a whistleblower lawsuit in federal court. The FBI interviewed Maunglay, and then arrested Fata the following morning.

Fata was arrested the following morning. He has been held on $9 million bond since, and his medical license has been suspended.

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