Appeals Court Won't Upset 45-Year Sentence For Cancer Doc

DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - An appeals court has affirmed the 45-year prison sentence for a Detroit-area cancer doctor who put hundreds of patients through needless treatments.

Farid Fata's appeal focused on how a judge calculated the sentencing guidelines and whether it was proper to allow many victims to speak in court. In a 3-0 decision Wednesday, the appeals court says the arguments lack merit.

Federal investigators called Fata the most egregious fraudster in U.S. history, "measured not only by the millions of dollars he stole but by the harm he inflicted on his victims ... "

In 2014, Fata pleaded guilty to fraud, money laundering and conspiracy. The government identified 553 victims, along with insurance companies. Medicare and insurers paid at least $17 million.

Many patients who were told they had cancer went through excessive chemotherapy. The treatments wrecked their health. Fata acknowledged that he was motivated by greed.
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