A judge on Friday denied decreasing the bail on a doctor who is being accused of allegedly taking part in a huge insurance fraud case where doctors' assistants perform operations on unwitting patients under anesthesia.
Judge Kathleen Kennedy of the L.A. County Superior Court remarked of one of the allegations thrown at 15 people: "Unnecessary surgeries by non-surgeons? That's pretty shocking stuff," the Los Angeles Times reported.
In the $150 million fraud scheme that spanned for over a decade, Dr. Munir Uwaydah, along with his associates, set costly medications, charged examinations that needlessly lasted for almost an hour and modified medical test results to validate an operation on these patients.
Fifteen people were prosecuted regarding the scheme, which reimbursed dealers and the compensation lawyers of the workers with a cut of up to $10,000 per month after they guide patients to Uwaydah's clinic.
If these patients were qualified for surgery, the dealers and layers would get extra payment and will be given added payment if the patients would go through with it.
Even the patients themselves would be paid if they decide not to go through with it on some rare occasions, according to the Associated Press.
Catherine Chon, the Deputy District Attorney, stated in court documents that were filed on Thursday that the accusations "paint a clear picture of a sophisticated and savvy group of criminal conspirators who placed profits above the health and welfare of the thousands of patients they purported to treat."
"The callous disregard and extreme indifference that was shown to unsuspecting victims is reflected in the overt acts alleged," Chon said, the San Francisco Gate reported.
Meanwhile, the manager of Uwaydah's clinic, Kelly Soo Park, 49, has been jailed under a $18.5 million bond. While her lawyer thinks prosecutors cannot link her to the fraud, Chon said that Park had her name on bank accounts and shell companies.
