Prison life hasn’t been easy for cancer doctor Farid Fata, if his court appearance Tuesday is\u00a0any indication. He was bald, thin and looked a little frail \u2014 an ironic resemblance to the many patients he pumped with chemotherapy when he knew they didn’t have cancer.<\/p>\n
“I’d like to grab hold of a needle … and give him a little juice,” said Terri Mitchell, 55, of Rochester Hills, one of hundreds of patients who the government says were intentionally mistreated and misdiagnosed by Fata because he wanted to make money.<\/p>\n
Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n Cancer doctor was really just ‘a monster’<\/a><\/p>\n How to avoid the next Fata case<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n “It was bad, really bad,” said Mitchell, who was among about 25 victims who appeared in U.S. District Court on Tuesday to learn the status of restitution payments they are hoping to receive from Fata.<\/p>\n The once-prominent Oakland County doctor\u00a0pleaded guilty in September 2014\u00a0to poisoning hundreds of patients intentionally\u00a0through unnecessary treatment and raking in more than $17 million from fraudulent billings. He was sentenced to 45 years in prison.<\/p>\n Following\u00a0Fata’s arrest in 2013, the federal government seized many of his assets and set up an $11.9-million restitution fund, which is designed to help Fata’s victims recover\u00a0medical costs and other expenses. \u00a0The government had seized \u00a0$13 million in total assets from\u00a0Fata, \u00a0but $1.1 million was paid to the whistle-blower in the case, leaving the rest for his victims.<\/p>\n The U.S. Attorney’s Office had initially\u00a0identified\u00a0553 victims, but\u00a0noted\u00a0there could be more given that Fata’s practice\u00a0treated 17,000 patients through seven locations. At Tuesday’s hearing, \u00a0federal authorities said 763 claims had been filed so far, \u00a0and that the claims process would continue into the summer, which \u00a0means victims might not see any payments until year-end, perhaps later. The deadline to file for a claim was Oct. 5.<\/p>\n “Our goal is to make sure that not a penny is left on the table,” U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade has said repeatedly.<\/p>\n Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n Among those seeking restitution is\u00a0Mitchell, who submitted a claim for $43,000 in reimbursements for expenses, including CT scans, blood work, prescriptions and co-pays.\u00a0 Terry Spurlock of Holly is also hoping to get some money from the restitution fund. He said Fata gave him unnecessary iron and hydration treatments that triggered numerous chronic health issues.<\/p>\n “I’m glad he’s alive. I’d like to see him live a long time behind bars in prison, just wishing he could go outside for a picnic or to see his family,” Spurlock said. “He has no clue what he’s done.”<\/p>\n When Fata entered the courtroom, Spurlock couldn’t hold back and loudly said: “Does he have tatoos on the back of his head yet?” Others in the courtroom smirked.<\/p>\n Among the angry victims was Patty Hester, 62, of Clarkson, a former\u00a0emergency room technician who received unnecessary iron infusions under Fata’s care. She said that Fata diagnosed her with \u00a0 myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS)\u00a0\u00a0\u2014 a precursor to leukemia \u2014 when all she had was anemia. She said she didn’t know that Fata had mistreated her until the FBI showed up at her house and told her. She eventually learned that Fata falsified her bone-marrow test results.<\/p>\n “He was torturing me so he could get money,” said Hester, who suffers from chronic hair loss and gum tissue problems. “We really don’t know what he was putting in our system.”<\/p>\n Fata, who is serving his sentence in South Carolina, wanted to speak at the restitution hearing. But U.S. District Judge Paul Borman denied his request, telling Fata that if he had anything to say, he could submit it to him in writing.<\/p>\n Hester was glad.<\/p>\n “The man has nothing to say,” she said.<\/p>\n According to the U.S. Attorneys Office, here are the costs that victims can seek reimbursement for through the restitution fund:<\/p>\n Costs that are not <\/em><\/strong>covered by the restitution fund include:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n By Tresa Baldas <\/a> , Detroit Free Press <\/span><\/p>\n Source\u00a0\u00a0 www.freep.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\n
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