Federal prosecutors attempt to quantify damage caused by doctor who deliberately misdiagnosed patients for profit
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Federal prosecutors on Monday attempted to quantify the damage caused by Dr. Jorge Zamora-Quezada — in dollars.
A jury convicted Zamora-Quezada on nine charges, including conspiracy to commit health care fraud, in January.
Zamora-Quezada told patients they had "rheumatoid arthritis, a life-long, incurable disease – and treated them with toxic, medically unnecessary medications like chemotherapy drugs on the basis of that false diagnosis," according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice. The treatment allowed Zamora-Quezada, who owned a Maserati and traveled on a private jet, to collect millions.
On Monday afternoon, federal prosecutors discussed the case with U.S. District Judge Ricardo H. Hinojosa.
According to prosecutors, about 3,000 people called a FBI hotline set up for victims of Zamora-Quezada.
Determining how many of them were actually misdiagnosed, though, remains a thorny issue.
During the hearing, Hinojosa said the government needed to provide evidence, such as a second opinion from another doctor, not just a list of callers.
Zamora-Quezada remains in jail. A sentencing date hasn't been set.
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