FEDS
Mohamad Och, Worcester psychiatrist, sentenced
Mohamad Och PRESS RELEASE Worcester Psychiatrist Sentenced for Unlawful Distribution of Controlled Substances Thursday, July 31, 2025 For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts Defendant prescribed combinations of highly addictive benzodiazepines and stimulants BOSTON – A Worcester psychiatrist was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for illegally prescribing controlled substances. Mohamad Och, 69, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman to four years of probation and ordered to pay a $30,000 fine. In November 2023, Och was convicted following an 11-day jury trial of three counts of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance. Och [...]
Rahim Shafa, Lexington psychiatrist, sentenced
Rahim Shafa PRESS RELEASE Lexington Doctor Sentenced for Engaging in International Money Laundering Scheme and Importing Illegal and Misbranded Drugs Tuesday, December 17, 2024 For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts Defendant falsified documents to obtain drugs from Hong Kong that are not FDA-approved BOSTON – A Lexington, Mass. doctor was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for an international money laundering scheme involving importing illegal, misbranded drugs. Rahim Shafa, 66, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman to three years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Shafa was [...]
Jason Stamper, Pikeville Psychiatrist, Sentenced
Jason Stamper PRESS RELEASE Pikeville Doctor Sentenced for Illegally Prescribing Amphetamines Monday, July 15, 2024 For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Kentucky PIKEVILLE, Ky. – A Pikeville doctor, Dr. Jason Stamper, 52, was sentenced on Monday, by Chief U.S. District Judge Danny Reeves, to 32 months for illegally prescribing amphetamines. According to his plea agreement, between April 15, 2022, and September 27, 2022, law enforcement made six undercover patient visits to Stamper’s clinic. At each of those visits, Stamper prescribed Ritalin and Adderall to the undercover officer, without a legitimate medical purpose. Stamper performed no medical examinations, [...]
Varanise Booker, Louisville Psychiatrist, Sentenced
Varanise Booker PRESS RELEASE Kentucky Psychiatrist Sentenced for Health Care Fraud Related to Referrals for Drug Testing at Greensburg Lab Thursday, June 16, 2022 For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Pennsylvania PITTSBURGH - A resident of Louisville, Kentucky, was sentenced in federal court yesterday for one count of health care fraud, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced. United States District Judge David S. Cercone sentenced Varanise C. Booker, 67, to 36 months of probation and ordered that she pay restitution totaling $24,217.26 to the Kentucky Medicaid program. During the defendant’s plea hearing on October 5, 2021, [...]
Harry Doyle, Philadelphia Psychiatrist to Pay $3 Million to Resolve Allegations
Harry Doyle Press Release Philadelphia Psychiatrist to Pay $3 Million to Resolve Allegations of False Workers’ Compensation Claims Monday, March 28, 2022 For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Dr. Harry Doyle and his wife, Sonya Doyle, of Philadelphia, PA, have agreed to pay a total of $3 million to resolve alleged violations of the False Claims Act. The alleged violations include submitting false billing to the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Worker’s Compensation Programs (OWCP) for psychiatric services that were not provided, as well as [...]
Psychiatrist Emad Bishai, Texas, pays half million for fraud allegations
Psychiatrist Emad Bishai Press Release Woodlands pain doctor pays half million dollars for fraudulent PPP and billing allegations Monday, November 15, 2021 For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Texas HOUSTON - A 49-year-old local physician has agreed to pay $523,331 to settle allegations he submitted false claims for the placement of electro-acupuncture devices and for making false statements when applying for a loan from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery. Dr. Emad Bishai is an anesthesiologist and pain management physician who practices in The Woodlands. Woodlands Pain Institute PLLC is his [...]
Uzma Ehtesham, Virginia psychiatrist, sentenced
Uzma Ehtesham PRESS RELEASE Wise Psychiatrist Sentenced For Federal Health Care Fraud Wednesday, March 17, 2021 For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Virginia ABINGDON, Va.- Uzma Ehtesham, a Wise, Virginia psychiatrist who defrauded Virginia Medicaid and Medicare by fraudulently billing these programs for services not performed, was sentenced yesterday to two years’ probation, six months of which must be spent on home detention, Acting United States Attorney Daniel P. Bubar and Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring announced today. Ehtesham, 52, pleaded guilty in November 2020 to a one-count Information charging her with health care fraud. “Eradicating health [...]
Psychiatrist Peter Steiner, Louisville, Sentenced to 5 years
Psychiatrist Peter Steiner PRESS RELEASE Louisville Physician Sentenced To 5 Years In Federal Prison For Unlawfully Distributing And Dispensing Controlled Substances Friday, February 26, 2021 For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Kentucky LOUISVILLE, Ky. – United States District Court Judge David J. Hale sentenced Louisville physician Peter Steiner to 60 months’ imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release for knowingly and intentionally distributing and dispensing Schedule II, Schedule III and Schedule IV controlled substances without any legitimate medical purpose and outside the course of professional medical practice, announced Acting United States Attorney Michael A. [...]
Richard Mitchell, Montana Psychiatrist, sentenced
Richard Mitchell PRESS RELEASE Montana Psychiatrist Sentenced for Unlawful Possession of an Opioid Tuesday, July 7, 2020 For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Montana Helena—A Montana psychiatrist who admitted to unlawfully prescribing and abusing an opioid was sentenced today to five years of probation and ordered to pay a fine of $4,000, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said. In addition, as part of his sentence the psychiatrist cannot prescribe any controlled substance during his five years of probation. Richard E. Mitchell, 35, pleaded guilty in March to unlawful possession of a controlled substance. U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon [...]
Spiro Kassis, psychiatrist, Plymouth Township, sentenced
Spiro Kassis U.S. Department of Justice PRESS RELEASE Montgomery County “Pill Mill” Doctor Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Illegal Opioid Distribution Wednesday, February 19, 2020 For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney William M. McSwain announced that Dr. Spiro Y. Kassis, 66, of Plymouth Township, PA was sentenced to 48 months’ incarceration, two years’ supervised release and a $25,000 fine by United States District Judge Gene E. K. Pratter after pleading guilty to 14 counts of distributing controlled substances outside the course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical [...]