Ep. 094 | The Victims of Dr. Farid Fata
Imagine being told you have cancer—a diagnosis that instantly upends your life—and then enduring months or even years of brutal chemotherapy. Now imagine learning that your doctor forced you to undergo three to four times the standard amount of treatment, or kept you on chemotherapy long after you were in remission, all while you believed you were still fighting for your life. Worst of all, imagine undergoing months or years of chemo, only to later discover that you never had cancer at all—and that your doctor knew it the entire time.
These nightmares became reality for hundreds of patients in Michigan under the care of Dr. Farid Fata, an oncologist who betrayed the very people who trusted him with their lives. In one of the most egregious cases of medical fraud in U.S. history, Fata subjected healthy patients—or those with minor, manageable conditions—to unnecessary, devastating cancer treatments, all to enrich himself. This is the rise and fall of Dr. Fata.
SOURCES:
Bailey, M. (2016, November 18). Victims seek payments as “Dr. Death” declares innocence. STAT News. https://www.statnews.com/2016/11/18/farid-fata-cancer-dr-death/
CBS News. (2018, July 20). Whistleblower exposes doctor accused of prescribing chemotherapy to patients who don’t have cancer. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/whistleblower-exposes-doctor-farid-fata-accused-of-prescribing-chemotherapy-to-patients-without-cancer/
Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2014, November 6). Egregious case of health care fraud: Cancer doctor admits prescribing unnecessary chemotherapy. https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/cancer-doctor-admits-prescribing-unnecessary-chemotherapy
Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2014, September 16). Detroit-area doctor admits to providing medically unnecessary chemotherapy to patients. https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/detroit/news/press-releases/detroit-area-doctor-admits-to-providing-medically-unnecessary-chemotherapy-to-patients
Forensis Group. (n.d.). Unnecessary chemotherapy and Medicare fraud: The Farid Fata oncology case. https://www.forensisgroup.com/resources/expert-legal-witness-blog/unnecessary-chemotherapy-and-medicare-fraud-the-farid-fata-oncology-case
Dr. Death (Season 2). (2018). Wondery. https://wondery.com/shows/dr-death/
Office of Public Affairs, U.S. Department of Justice. (2013, September 18). Oncologist charged in superseding indictment with medically unnecessary cancer treatments scheme. https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmi/pr/oncologist-charged-superseding-indictment-medically-unnecessary-cancer-treatments
Office of Public Affairs, U.S. Department of Justice. (2015, May 28). United States’ sentencing memorandum in United States of America v. Farid Fata (No. 2:13-cr-20600). https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmi/file/623456/dl?inline
Office of Public Affairs, U.S. Department of Justice. (2015, July 10). Detroit area doctor sentenced to 45 years in prison for providing medically unnecessary chemotherapy to patients. https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/detroit-area-doctor-sentenced-45-years-prison-providing-medically-unnecessary-chemotherapy
Shaykhet, S. (2016, October 24). Millions available for victims of crooked cancer doctor Farid Fata. WXYZ Detroit. https://www.wxyz.com/news/monday-at-6-millions-available-for-victims-of-crooked-cancer-doctor
Williams, A. (2015, June 1). Impact statement excerpts released for victims of unnecessary treatment by Dr. Farid Fata. WDIV ClickOnDetroit. https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/2015/06/01/impact-statement-excerpts-released-for-victims-of-unnecessary-treatment-by-dr-farid-fata/
Doctored and deceived: The shady rise and public fall of Farid Fata. (n.d.). L’Orient-Le Jour. https://today.lorientlejour.com/article/1346189/doctored-and-deceived-the-shady-rise-and-public-fall-of-farid-fata.html
