A Detroit doctor who administered unnecessary chemotherapy and other treatments to 553 patients, many of whom were told they had cancer, was sentenced to 45 years in prison in federal court Friday.
US District Court Judge Paul Borman handed down the decision against Dr. Farid Fata, 50, a haematologist-oncologist, who falsely diagnosed his patients with cancer and administered treatments so he could fraudulently collect millions of dollars in insurance and Medicare money.
Borman said Fata "shut down whatever compassion he had as a doctor and switched it to making money" in a scheme that became "huge, horrific series of criminal acts."
"I misused my talents, yes, and permitted this sin to enter me because of power and greed. My quest for power is self-destructive," Fata admitted in the courtroom.
Fata pleaded guilty last September to 13 counts of healthcare fraud, one count of conspiracy to pay or receive kickbacks and two counts of money laundering.
Borman ordered Fata to forfeit $17.6 million.
Patients and their relatives were in the courtroom for Fata's sentencing.
Fata owned and operated the Michigan Hematology Oncology (MHO), a cancer treatment centre, which had branches in Rochester Hills, Clarkston, Bloomfield Hills, Lapeer, Sterling Heights, Troy and Oak Park in Michigan. He also owned the diagnostic testing facility, United Diagnostics PLLC, located in Rochester Hills.
Ellen Piligian, whose late father was administered by Fata with drug he didn't need for his tumour in his shoulder, said, "He preyed on our trust, our exhaustion, our fears."
Federal prosecutors asked the judge to sentence Fata to 175 years in prison while the doctor asked for 25 years.
Fata's former patients outside the courthouse were disappointed with the ruling.
"Prosecutors did a fantastic job — and he got 45 years. It's a lifetime sentence for the rest of us," said Monica Flagg, 53, who got treated for cancer that she didn't have.
