“Dr. Fata did not care for patients; he exploited them as commodities. He was able to fool many people who were very bright because he was also very bright”. “So at that point I discovered that there may be some issues there”.
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“Farid Fata: I hate you”.
Fata was a trusted oncologist in the community.
Zaremba said she believes Fata was honest.
Sneary discovered after Fata’s arrest that he’d been given “gross overtreatment” – more expensive and harsh chemotherapy than was necessary and, worse, he had a testicle removed that was medically unnecessary. “This was beyond. This was over the top”, Dr. Dan Longo said.
The government identified 553 victims, along with insurance companies.
“For most cancer patients, the enemy is the disease they vow to fight”, U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade told reporters. “We have a lot of cases involving Medicare fraud here where doctors submit fraudulent billings but those cases really are all about money”.
But prosecutors argued that the harm done in Fata’s case was unprecedented.
Before being sentenced, Fata turned to face those who were at his sentencing and apologized.
Prosecutors said Fata ran the scheme from 2009 to 2014 through his medical businesses, including Michigan Hematology Oncology Centers, which has seven offices in the Detroit area.
“I misused my talents… because of power and greed”. Yahoo! Health notes that Farid Fata’s doctoring fraud led to at least 2,000 unnecessary chemotherapy treatments for those pulled into his scheme.
One of those victims was 53-year-old Monica Flagg. “What really makes me mad is the fact that he lied”, Howard told CBS News. I do not know what else I can do to heal their wound.. And her husband was put on Neulasta, a drug so strong it knocked him “to the ground and on the couch for days”, she said. After aggressive rounds of chemo with only week breaks in between, Sydney died on the treatment.
“I expected it to be much higher in terms of sending a message and setting a precedent”, she said. “It’s very disturbing”.
Fata said he did not feel as though he deserved a trial.
Earlier in the morning, Dr. Fata stood at the podium before the judge, sobbing at times, unable to speak at times. “He’s lost everything”, Andreoff said. Dr. Fata is from Lebanon. “I failed. Yes I failed.”, he said, according to Detroit Channel 4.
Cadd said his father’s good insurance policy and lung cancer is what led to the over-treatment by Fata, who “just kept it up, kept it up until finally my father passed away because of that monster”, Cadd said, becoming tearful.
Oh says if you or a loved one has cancer, it’s important to do your own research and get a second opinion about your diagnosis and treatment. “The others did so many that they’re practically dead anyway”. “He lied to his patients, he lied to his colleagues”, McQuade said.
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“They had to endure incredible, horrific treatments that left them incapable of having normal lives and some actually did not recover”, he said.
