CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — More criminal charges will be filed against a Chesapeake obstetrician-gynecologist accused of performing unnecessary surgeries on patients as part of a health care fraud scheme, according to newly-filed federal court documents.
Defense attorneys representing Dr. Javaid Perwaiz were informed on Feb. 20 that federal prosecutors intend to file a superseding indictment against the OB-GYN. That indictment will be filed in early April, and will include “additional charges and alleged victims,” court documents state.
If filed, this will be the second superseding indictment brought against Perwaiz since he was arrested in November.
Perwaiz is currently charged with:
- One count of health care fraud-criminal forfeiture
- Four counts of health care fraud
- Four counts of false statements related to health care matters
- Two counts of aggravated identity theft.
The federal case against Perwaiz illustrates a “health care fraud scheme” that spanned at least 10 years — from January 2010 until Nov. 8, 2019 when he was arrested, the federal complaint states.
Perwaiz is accused of submitting false or fraudulent insurance claims to several health care providers, including Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Humana, and Sentara Optima, according to the federal criminal complaint.
The false and fraudulent insurance claims were allegedly for several types of medical procedures and gynecological surgeries, including colposcopies and hysterectomies. Authorities believe Perwaiz wrote symptoms and complaints that patients did not have into their medical records to justify the surgeries to the insurance providers, according to the federal criminal complaint.
He is also accused of stealing the identities of two of his patients. Authorities believe he used the Medicaid identification of one patient on March 18, 2016, and the social security number of another patient on Oct. 19, 2019, while allegedly committing health care fraud, according to the federal complaint.
Perwaiz has been denied bond, and his attorneys are currently receiving evidence through the discovery process of the court case. They’ve already received more than 6,000 medical records and other documents seized during a search of Perwaiz’s office in October. They expect to receive more documents in the next two weeks.
Perwaiz has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. A jury trial is scheduled to begin on June 2.
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