Texas Physician Found Guilty Of $325M Fraud Involving Heinous Treatment of Patients

Houston, TX  (WorkersCompenstion.com) –The Department Of Justice announced the outcome of a case that has had the medical community in shock.

Jorge Zamora-Quezada, M.D., a 63 year old rheumatologist from Mission, Texas, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, seven counts of healthcare fraud, and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice, all involving $325 million. The trial lasted for 25 days and took place in the Southern District before U.S. District Judge Ricardo Hinojosa. Zamora-Quezada is expected to be sentenced on March 27.

Zamora-Quezada, who purportedly received his medical degree from the Universidad de Guadalajara Faculty of Medicine, had been in practice as a rheumatologist for more than 20 years. The physician practiced at several locations throughout south Texas, including San Antonio. He was also known for his luxurious lifestyle such as commuting to his offices via his Maserati or private jet.

According to evidence presented in the trial, Zamora-Quezada not only treated patients unnecessarily and falsified medical records for the purpose of payment, but the physician also subjected patients as young as 13 to drastic treatments that resulted in long-term physical and mental side effects. Further evidence showed that the physician also attempted to obstruct the investigation.

The evidence exposed that Zamora-Quezada falsely diagnosed a large number of his otherwise healthy patients with rheumatoid arthritis, and then subjected them to ongoing taxing treatments such as chemotherapy and repetitive strenuous intravenous infusions for the purpose of financial gain.

Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division went so far as to call Zamora-Quezada’s treatments ‘monstrous  stating, “The conduct in this case was heinous. Dr. Zamora-Quezada falsely diagnosed vulnerable patients, including the young, elderly, and disabled, with life-long diseases requiring invasive treatments that those patients did not in fact need.”

Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs of the FBI’s San Antonio Field Office believes the case was one of the worst abuses they have seen. “Rarely do we see such an egregious case of health care fraud, where so many patients received years of unnecessary and debilitating treatments, which were rendered out of sheer greed.”

According to reports from the Monitor, Zamora-Quezada’s wife Meisy Zamora was also charged with conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud.

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