Unrelenting weakness in joints and muscles.
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Judge Borman mentioned during sentencing that Dr. Fata had a problem with alcohol and drugs, and ordered treatment in prison if necessary.
After four days of testimony, Borman ruled Thursday that the appropriate sentencing guideline range in the case is 30 years to life in prison.
The sentence was larger than the 25 years that the defense wanted, but well under the 175 year requested by the prosecution. In total, his scam affected roughly 550 victims and tallied up 34.7 million in payments.
Fata also must pay $17,601,233 in restitution, which will be paid through any property he owns or controls.
Contacted after the sentencing, Karadsheh told NBC News, “I feel very sad for the victims, because they will go on feeling pain and suffering as a result of Fata long after the sentence is over”. According to court reporters, Fata stood next to his lawyer, and appeared to be crying. I don’t know how anyone could do something so disgusting. The government said there were 553 victims, along with Medicare and insurers.
Fata apologized to his victims and their families, saying, “I grossly abused the trust my patients put in me”, adding that his “quest for power is self-destructive”.
“Dr. Fata did not care for patients; he exploited them as commodities. I failed. Yes I failed.”, he said, according to Detroit Channel 4.
Fata, 50, who is married with children, pleaded guilty in September to an array of criminal charges, including health care fraud, money laundering and seeking kickbacks.
Federal authorities were alerted to the situation through a whistle-blower suit filed by the doctor’s office manager, George Karadsheh, who said he started digging as soon as he heard disturbing things about misdiagnosis and overtreatment. I hate this man. Some may choose to forgive, I never can. You are a monster… You murdered my dad. I had to tell my son I had terminal cancer. “What really makes me raging is the fact that he lied”, Howard told CBS News. “So I was questioning my faith in humanity, as everybody would have”.
It was one of the few times during the hearing Fata broke from his stoic demeanor, tensing slightly and briefly turning to face Stedtfeld.
Authorities said they, too, were disappointed in the length of the prison term, but felt confident that it would encompass all, or most, of his life.
What’s the toll of excessive cancer treatments on the body? Some patients didn’t even have cancer. Normal cells that also reproduce quickly get caught in the crossfire of the powerful drugs.
“There is an aggressive approach to treating cancer”. She said she was OK with essentially what was a life sentence for Dr. Fata.
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“Chemo can be life-saving when used in the right setting by people with advanced cancers,”says Oh””.
