Texas doctor sentenced to 10 years in prison in one of the ‘most significant’ cases of patient harm
A Texas-based physician was sentenced Wednesday to years in prison for healthcare fraud after he carried out what prosecutors commented was a nearly two-decade scheme that involved falsely diagnosing thousands of patients with degenerative diseases and profiting handsomely off their treatments Jorge Zamora-Quezada a rheumatologist licensed to practice medicine in Texas Arizona and Massachusetts before being stripped of his licenses in each state raked in hundreds of millions of dollars for the misdiagnoses and remedy he ordered during his roughly years as a biological practitioner The treatments included punishing rounds of chemotherapy intravenous infusions and a battery of other tests monthly visits and regular procedures associated with the recovery of rheumatoid arthritis a chronic autoimmune condition for which there is no cure The sentencing and his earlier court appearances played out at times like a review in contrasts Prosecutors detailed his extravagant lifestyle including a private jet properties across the U S including in Aspen and various towns in Mexico and a Maserati while the wellbeing of the patients he defrauded continued to worsen Prosecutors accused him of taking advantage of vulnerable individuals in Texas such as teenagers elderly individuals and disabled persons in order to carry out the scheme Particular of them testified at Wednesday s hearing about the ongoing side effects they suffered as a impact of the specialist s actions including receiving chemotherapy or IV infusions they did not need AMTRAK BILKED OUT OF M BY AT LEAST EMPLOYEES DOCTORS IN FRAUD SCHEME SEVERAL STILL ON THE JOB REPORTIt s one of the largest part egregious cases of its kind the Justice Department has brought in this space Matthew Galeotti head of the Justice Department Criminal Division communicated Fox News Digital in a sit-down interview on Wednesday That s because of all of the various kinds of misconduct rolled into one he announced and because it was pervasive the scheme lasted more than years By the time you're towards the end of the scheme he knows the consequences specific of these things have had on the casualties and he's going forward anyways he noted of the physician The Justice Department's Criminal Division has been prosecuting this development for years Unlike other departments it is one of the limited where career and political staff alike are largely in lockstep with goals and cases that transcend partisan politics and seek instead to hold criminals like the Texas expert accountable Galeotti reported he sees the development as emblematic of the Trump administration s goals to vindicate sufferers and counter wasteful regime spending Even in cases where you don't see this level of misconduct where you're not prescribing someone chemotherapy medicine that doesn't need it which obviously sort of stands out on its own we still have a complication because you were wasting cabinet funds that should be going to veritably benefiting patients Galeotti commented A BERLIN HEALTHCARE PROVIDER HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH THE KILLINGS OF PATIENTS UNDER PALLIATIVE CAREA separate Justice Department official stated Fox News Digital Zamora-Quezada s event was one of the greater part major instances of victim harm that he had seen in at least a decade There was testimony about truly debilitating side effects from the medications things like strokes necrosis of the jawbone really the jawbone melting away hair loss liver damage the official stated The physician s actions were seen as particularly egregious in the Justice Department's telling because they sought to prey on lower-income communities in Texas targeting teenagers elderly persons and disabled individuals The physician also operated in areas with less access to healthcare care and with fewer native English speakers compared to other parts of the state Of discipline it's perpetually the majority twisted when you're benefiting from someone else's misfortune misfortune you caused and misfortune you used for your own personal enrichment Galeotti revealed They're the hallmarks of the worst kind of conduct that you see Galeotti explained DOJ PROSECUTOR SUING TRANS MEDICINE WHISTLEBLOWER TAKEN OFF CIRCUMSTANCE OVER APPARENT CONFLICT OF INTERESTZamora-Quezada was convicted by a jury in of seven counts of healthcare fraud one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and one count of obstruction of justice His attorneys argued that the fraud was not pervasive in the way the establishment made it out to be according to constituents court filings Prosecutors announced Zamora-Quezada purchased condominium properties in vacation towns including in Aspen San Diego and Puerto Vallarta Mexico They reported he commuted to his various doctors offices in Texas in a Maserati and a private jet both emblazoned with his initials ZQ His assets were forfeited after he was charged prosecutors noted Meanwhile they commented while Zamora-Quezada was living a life of luxury out of nearly Medicare patients he treated Zamora-Quezada diagnosed of them with rheumatoid arthritis Prosecutors compared that details to seven other Texas rheumatologists who cumulatively diagnosed of their patients with the same condition Prosecutors sought for million in restitution but the judge required him to pay million Attorneys for Zamora-Quezada did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment
