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Witness statements needed before sentencing of Chesapeake doctor convicted of performing unnecessary surgeries

Judge denies bond for Chesapeake doctor accused of performing unnecessary surgeries
Posted at 4:15 PM, Feb 06, 2021
and last updated 2021-02-06 16:15:32-05

NORFOLK, Va. - The U.S. District Court for the Eastern Court of Virginia is asking current and former patients of the Chesapeake doctor convicted of performing unnecessary surgeries to send in their witness statements before he is sentenced in March.

Dr. Javaid Perwaiz was convicted of performing unnecessary medical procedures, including performing hysterectomies and removing ovaries, without his patients knowing or consenting at his OB-GYN medical practice. He also allegedly filed false claims regarding those procedures to health care benefit programs.

On June 19, 2020, a federal grand jury returned a 62-count indictment charging Perwaiz with 26 counts of health care fraud, 33 counts of making false statements relating to health care matters and three counts of aggravated identity theft for misconduct that allegedly took place between 2010 and November 2019.

After a four-and-a-half-week trial, on November 9, 2020, Perwaiz was found guilty on 51 of 62 countsof health care fraud and false statements.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 31 at 11 a.m. in the U.S. District Court in Norfolk.

If you believe you have been harmed by Perwaiz's criminal actions, you can submit a statement to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for consideration at sentencing. An example of a format is here.

You should include your full name (patient initials will be used in all public filings for privacy reasons), identify your relationship with Perwaiz (e.g., whether you were a patient, a co-worker, etc.) and provide your contact information.

Before March 24, 2021, please send all statements to:

U.S. Attorney’s Office
Attn. Darcel Sessoms
101 W. Main Street, Suite 8000
Norfolk, Va. 23510

You can also email statements to usavae.perwaiz.medical.records@usdoj.gov

Statements should be received before or by March 24. If the are received after this date, they will not be part of the materials given to the court before Perwaiz's sentencing.

Related: Former patient of Chesapeake OBGYN on trial said she had 5 surgeries in 10 years

VICTIM RESPONSE

To make sure members of the public, including Perwaiz's current and former patients, are informed of developments in this ongoing case, the U.S. Attorney’s Office made a page on its website, which can be found here. The district court has authorized the U.S. Attorney’s Office to use this website as part of its obligations to notify potential victims.

Additionally, the website includes the following guidance for current or former patients:

FBI TIPS

If you are a current or former patient, you should contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-CALL-FBI or online here if you would like to share information.

MEDICAL RECORDS

If you are a current or former patient looking for a copy of your medical records, you should email usavae.perwaiz.medical.records@usdoj.gov with your full name and dates of service. Please note: FBI only possesses records that were maintained by Perwaiz’s practice for patients who received services from 2015 through 2019.