NORFOLK, Va. — The U.S. District Court for the Eastern Court of Virginia sentenced a former Virginia doctor to 59 years in prison after he was convicted of performing unnecessary surgeries at his OB-GYN medical practice.
Dr. Javaid Perwaiz, 71, was convicted of performing needless medical procedures, including hysterectomies and removing ovaries, without his patients knowing or consenting at his OB-GYN medical practice. He has been practicing in Hampton Roads since the 1980s.
He also allegedly filed false claims regarding those procedures to health care benefit programs.
In 2020, a federal grand jury returned a 62-count indictment charging Perwaiz with 26 counts of health care fraud, 33 counts of making false statements relating to health care matters, and three counts of aggravated identity theft for misconduct that allegedly took place between 2010 and November 2019.
Court documents say during that period, he caused approximately $20.8 million in losses to private and government health care insurers
Perwaiz was found guilty on 52 of 62 counts of health care fraud and false statements.
On Tuesday, the judge gave Perwaiz the maximum sentencing for health care fraud charges and charges pertaining to bodily harm to patients after hearing witness statements from several patients.
Perwaiz did not speak during his sentencing hearing.
The judge called the crime overwhelming and disturbing, with Perwaiz having no remorse at all.
Perwaiz's lawyers told the court he maintains his innocence but had no comment to WTKR when they left court Tuesday.
“Motivated by his insatiable and reprehensible greed, Perwaiz used an arsenal of horrifying tactics to manipulate and deceive patients into undergoing invasive, unnecessary, and devastating medical procedures,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “These fraudulent and destructive surgeries caused irreversible damage to the victims. In many instances, the defendant shattered their ability to have children by using fear to remove organs from their bodies that he had no right to take. Despite having to endure immeasurable physical and emotional pain, the victims showed resilience, strength, and courage by speaking out and sharing their stories to hold the defendant accountable for his heinous crimes. While no prosecution can undo the lifelong trauma that Perwaiz cruelly inflicted on his patients, today’s sentence ensures that the victims and their families have the last word.”
“This individual not only defrauded our healthcare system out of millions of dollars, he did so by performing unnecessary surgeries on women and putting their health and safety at risk,” said Mark R. Herring, Attorney General of Virginia. “Doctors should never take advantage of the trust that their patients put in them, and those who do should be held accountable. I want to thank my team for their hard work on this case and I also want to thank our local, state, and federal partners for their ongoing collaboration and partnership on this and other important cases.”
“Today’s sentence is a significant step toward justice for the women Perwaiz preyed upon and harmed through his deception, betrayal, and greed,” said Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office. “The FBI is committed to stopping predators like Perwaiz who abuse their position of trust, but this outcome was ultimately made possible by the brave victims and nurses who deserve our gratitude for coming forward and exposing his horrible criminal conduct.”
“When unscrupulous healthcare providers such as Perwaiz put greed above patient care, they not only violate public trust, they stain the profession,” said Christopher W. Dillard, Special Agent in Charge of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service’s Mid-Atlantic Field Office. “DCIS is committed to working alongside our investigative partners in rooting out criminal malpractice and bringing to justice those who put the public and community at risk.”
The witnesses at trial included more than 25 former patients, some of whom testified to the complications they continue to endure as a result of the unnecessary surgeries Perwaiz performed.Witnesses also included nurses who worked at the hospitals where Perwaiz performed his surgeries, who testified that they repeatedly complained about his practices to their supervisors.
The court also received more than 60 Victim Impact Statements and the FBI received hundreds of tips about Perwaiz through its hotline.
This story was originally published by staff at WTKR.
