The whistleblower who helped put away Detroit oncologist Farid Fata for providing medically unnecessary chemotherapy treatments has filed new allegations against new defendants, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Fata was sentenced to 45 years in prison in July for submitting $34 million in false claims to Medicare, but the case drew national attention for the detrimental impact it had on Fata's patients, many of whom were given chemotherapy treatments they didn't need. The case grew from a 2013 whistleblower complaint from a former business manager for Fata, George Karadsheh. Now, Karadsheh has filed new allegations and against new defendants, which will remain sealed for the next six months while the U.S. Attorney's Office investigates.
Karadsheh's original lawsuit against Fata included Fata's wife, Samar; Swan For Life Cancer Foundation; and Vital Pharmacare, all of which were dismissed from the lawsuit. However, Karadsheh's lawyer, David Haron, told the Free Press that there were no new allegations against Fata or any of the original defendants. The U.S. Attorney's Office has until July 15 to intervene.
Haron also noted that his client took a smaller percentage of his entitled whistleblower money so that victims of Fata's scheme could receive more.
To learn more:
- read the Detroit Free Press article