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Family Members Of Victimized (Non-Cancer) Patients Want To Know If More People Are Involved

DETROIT (WWJ) - One day after a Detroit cancer specialist pleaded guilty to providing multiple patients unnecessary chemotherapy treatments -- and then billing Medicare and other insurers for those services -- family members of those victims met with federal prosecutors.

Their concern is that other medical providers who may have enabled Doctor Farid Fata are potentially going un-prosecuted.

"Dr. Fata lied to everyone," said U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade,"very few of them had the whole picture the way he did, so although people suspect that those he worked with may have known what was going on -- mere suspicion certainly can't be enough to charge someone with a crime."

Liz Lupo of Oakland Township said her mother [Marianne] was among those misdiagnosed by the doctor, before her death in 2006.

"It sounds like they're heading toward not having a trial but we want the trial to occur - the thing is he didn't do this alone and he could have never done it alone," said Lupo.

McQuade tells WWJ that authorities believe the number of victims who received unnecessary services from Dr. Fata likely numbers "in the hundreds."

She says the investigation against the doctor -- and potentially others -- "remains ongoing" calling the crime among the most egregious she has seen.

Karen Baldwin of White Lake whose late husband Harrison was treated by Fata.

"My husband is in an urn in the bedroom -- I feel as if I have a right to know," said Baldwin about the possibility other people conspired in the health care fraud.

Prior to Tuesday's plea, Fata had denied any wrongdoing.

"At a time when they are most vulnerable and fearful, cancer patients put their lives in the hands of doctors and endure risky treatments at their recommendation," said Assistant Attorney General Caldwell. "Dr. Fata ... admitted he put greed before the health and safety of his patients, putting them through unnecessary chemotherapy and other treatments just so that he could collect additional millions from Medicare. The mere thought of what he did is chilling."

"If we obtain sufficient evidence that we believe could convict someone at trail we wouldn't hesitate to charge them," added McQuade.

McQuade asks anyone who thinks they may have been victimized by Fata to make a statement to the U.S. Attorney's office.

Fata is a native of Lebanon. He has been behind bars for just over a year on a $9 million bond.

[Catch up on this case].

 

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