Health care fraud is a very serious crime that can have a long-lasting impact on the lives and livelihoods of others. It is a way for unscrupulous medical professionals to profit off of the suffering of others. This is why the federal government takes these crimes extremely seriously. In fact, one of the biggest health care fraud schemes happened over the course of several years right here in Texas.
In January of 2020, a federal jury found that a Texas rheumatologist, Dr. Jorge Zamora-Quezada, had falsely diagnosed patients with lifelong diseases in order to prescribe expensive treatments and enrich himself. According to the Department of Justice, Dr. Jorge Zamora-Quezada is one of the worst medical fraudsters in US history.
What were the crimes?
According to evidence that the Department of Justice presented at trial, Dr. Jorge Zamora-Quezada falsely diagnosed several patients with rheumatoid arthritis. This disease is life-long and incurable, but patients can manage the pain associated with it through a variety of treatments and medicines.
As a result of the false diagnosis that Dr. Jorge Zamora-Quezada made, many have patients undergone medically-unnecessary procedures like chemotherapy and intravenous infusions. Some of the misdiagnosed patients were as young as 13.
Were you a patient?
Even though the trial for Dr. Jorge Zamora-Quezada is over, the FBI is still seeking more patients who he may have victimized. In the event that you or anybody you know was a patient of Dr. Jorge Zamora-Quezada’s between January of 2000 and May of 2018, you can contact the Department of Justice to tell them your story by visiting the FBI’s page.
