A dozen doctors and four individuals from Michigan and Ohio have received federal prison sentences and were slapped with hefty fines as part of a wide-ranging scheme that distributed 6.6 million pills and submitted $250 million in false billings, officials announced Thursday.
The 16 defendants, according to a U.S. Department Of Justice press release, were part of a scheme that involved pain clinics spanning multiple states. Seven other people connected to the operation still await sentencing.
Among the highest-profile defendants is Dr. Frank (Francisco) Patino, 67, of Woodhaven, who was convicted last fall in a $120 million scheme that prosecutors say involved more than 2.2 million pills, one of the largest health care fraud schemes in U.S. history. Also involved was Mashiyat Rashid, Patino's business partner and part-owner of the clinics, who purchased private jet flights, tickets to NBA Finals games and real estate. He was sentenced in March 2021 to 15 years in federal prison.
The justice department said evidence showed doctors in the scheme pressured patients dealing with addiction to undergo unnecessary, expensive and sometimes painful back injections in order to be provided with opioids, including high-dosage prescription drugs like oxycodone.
Opioid overdose deaths have grown tenfold in Michigan since the year 2000, according to state government data, which recorded 2,036 deaths in 2018. An additional 1,556 people died from synthetic narcotic overdose, including fentanyl.
"It is unconscionable that doctors and health care professionals would violate their oath to do no harm and exploit vulnerable patients struggling with addiction," Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department's Criminal Division said in a statement. "These are not just crimes of greed, these are crimes that make this country's opioid crisis even worse — and that is why the department will continue to relentlessly pursue these cases."
The procedures, facet joint injections, given to the patients were chosen because they were among the highest reimbursing procedures, the justice department said. Trial testimony established that patients in some instances experienced more pain from the shots than from the pain they had come to have treated, with someone developing adverse conditions.
"Patients largely acquiesced to these unnecessary procedures because of their addiction or desire to obtain pills to be resold on the street by drug dealers," said the department release.
The doctors working at the clinics agreed to work only a few hours a week to stay under the radar of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the department said, but were among the highest prescribers of oxycodone in Michigan.
The justice department said that proceeds of the fraud were used to fund lavish lifestyles including jewelry, flights on private jets, cars, vacations and real estate.
Defendants sentenced in the announcement this week were given up to nine years in prison, with fines totaling hundreds of millions of dollars.
The physicians sentenced:
— Tariq Omar, 63, of Oakland County: Convicted at trial in 2020 for conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, and health care fraud. Sentenced March 9 to 8 years in prison; $24,243,603 in restitution.
— Joseph Betro, 60, of Oakland County: Convicted at trial in 2020 for conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, and health care fraud. Sentenced in February to 9 years in prison; $27,417,516 in restitution.
— Mohammed Zahoor, 53, of Oakland County: Convicted at trial in 2020 for conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, and health care fraud. Sentenced in February to 8 years in prison; $36,645,577 in restitution.
— Zahid Sheikh, 62, of Macomb County: Pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Sentenced to 70 months in prison, $2,088,797 in restitution.
— Abdul Haq, 76, of Ypsilanti: Pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Sentenced to four years in prison; $6,927,046.12 in restitution.
— Steven Adamczyk, 47, of Bloomfield Hills: Pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Sentenced to 42 months in prison; $1,237,570.97 in restitution.
— David Weaver, 67, of Canton: Pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Sentenced to three years in prison; $229,500 in restitution.
— Glenn Saperstein, 58, of Commerce Township: Pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Sentenced to 20 months in prison; $2,722,760.95 in restitution.
— Manish Bolina, 43, of Canton: Pleaded guilty to one count of making false statements. Sentenced to 20 months in prison; $310,936.95 in restitution.
— Hussein Saad, 42, of Dearborn: Pleaded guilty to one count of making false statements. Sentenced to 10 months in prison; $415,207.54 in restitution.
— David Yangouyian, 58, of Farmington Hills: Pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Sentenced to 6 months in prison; $35,480.98 in restitution.
— Spilios Pappas, 63, of Lucas County, Ohio: Convicted at trial in 2020 for conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, and health care fraud. Sentenced March 9 to 9 years in prison; $32,287,758 in restitution.
Other defendants sentenced by the court:
— Mashiyat Rashid: Pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, and one count of money laundering. Sentenced in March 2021 to 15 years in prison; over $51 million in restitution.
— Yousef Almatrahi, 34, of Romulus, owner of a home health agency: Pleaded guilty to to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud in connection with his payment of illegal kickbacks for the referral of patients from the clinics for medically unnecessary home health services. Sentenced to three years in prison; $1,359,512.69 in restitution.
— Hina Qazi, 39, of Rochester Hills, owner of a home health agency: Pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud in connection with his payment of illegal kickbacks for the referral of patients for medically unnecessary home health services. Sentenced to 18 months in prison; $827,713.00 in restitution.
— Joshua Burns, 43, of Detroit: Pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and pay and receive illegal kickbacks and bribes in connection with Patino's referral of urine drug testing and sponsorship of MMA fighters. Sentenced to one day in prison; $144,000 restitution.
The sentences come days after the announcement that Michigan would receive about $800 million of a historic $26 billion opioid settlement with drug manufacturer Johnson & Johnson and three large distributors.
In addition to Patino, who awaits sentencing on his conviction of one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, two counts of health care fraud, one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and pay and receive health care kickbacks, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, and one count of money laundering, six others also are still to be sentenced:
— Yasser Mozeb, 39, of Hamtramck, office manager of Tri-County clinics: Pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and pay and receive illegal kickbacks and bribes.
— Kashif Rasool, M.D., 46, of Troy: Pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
— Tariq Siddiqi, 44, of Sterling Heights: Pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud in connection with his payment of illegal kickbacks for the referral of patients.
— Tasadaq Ali Ahmad, 54, of Canton, owner of a home health agency: Pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and pay and receive kickbacks.
— Stephanie Borgula, 41, of Livonia, a licensed physical therapist: Pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
— Meiuttenun Brown, M.D., 51, of Toledo: Pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
