Virginia Gynecologist Faces 465 Years In Prison For Unwanted Surgeries, Health Care Fraud

A Virginia Gynecologist faces 52 counts and 465 years in prison for tricking unwitting patients into receiving "medically unnecessary hysterectomies" and other surgeries, reported The News & Observer.

Dr. Javaid Perwaiz, an obstetrician-gynecologist who has been practicing in Hampton Roads since the 1980s, was convicted by a federal jury on Monday. Perwaiz was arrested in Nov. 2019 and had been on trial in federal court since early last month.

Perwaiz was convicted for health care insurance fraud, falsification of records and identity theft after a four-week trial. The prosecutors believe that he committed these crimes over a period of 10 years, roughly around 2010-2019.

Evidence at the time of trial demonstrated that Perwaiz performed irreversible hysterectomies and other surgeries on his patients, in his scheme to bill private and government insurers millions of dollars. He was also found guilty of falsifying medical records of obstetric patients, so he could induce their labor early and prior to the recommended gestational age.

Perwaiz violated the 30-day waiting period Medicaid required for elective sterilizations. He reportedly submitted backdated forms to evade the waiting period. He was also found guilty of defrauding insurance bills of more than $2.3 million for the surgeries and diagnostic procedures. They also found that he had billed for diagnostic procedures that he only "pretended to perform" at his office.

During the trial, it was found that Perwaiz had convinced many of his patients to undergo surgeries, citing false cancer risk. The trial also found that Perwaiz had a history of fraud, including a case in which he had his medical license and hospital privileges revoked.

A patient, identified as D.B.P., underwent tubal ligation when Perwaiz convinced her that the reversal surgery promised 99% chance of having a baby in the future, reported Kron4. Years later, Perwaiz performed a tubal ligation reversal on her. But she has had four miscarriages and no baby since. "It was kind of heartbreaking, especially spending so much money to get it reversed," she said.

"Dr. Perwaiz preyed upon his trusting patients and committed horrible crimes to feed his greed," U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia G. Zachary Terwilliger said.

Attorney General of Virginia Mark R. Herring expressed that apart from defrauding the healthcare system, Perwaiz also put the health and safety of his patients at risk by performing unnecessary surgeries on them. "Doctors who take advantage of the trust their patients put in them must be brought to justice," he added.

The witnesses at the time of trial included dozens of former patients and nurses who worked at the hospitals where he performed his surgeries. Many patients testified that they continue to endure complications due to the unwanted surgeries performed on them.

Perwaiz is scheduled to be sentenced on March 31.