A suburban Chicago OB-GYN, Mona Ghosh, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for health care fraud. Ghosh was convicted of lying to both her patients and health insurance companies, falsely telling women they needed aggressive cancer treatments when they did not have cancer.
Federal Judge Franklin Valderrama delivered the sentence at the Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago, telling Ghosh, “You irrevocably harmed women who put their trust in you. You used your patients to bankroll your luxurious lifestyle.” In addition to the prison term, Ghosh was ordered to repay $1.5 million to health insurance companies that had been defrauded.
The case, which began with an investigation by the FBI, centered around Ghosh’s practice in Hoffman Estates. Many of her former patients spoke out at the hearing, sharing how the unnecessary treatments had permanently altered their lives.
“I’m glad she’s going to prison for what she did because she deserves it,” said one of the victims, Angela. “She has altered lives indefinitely; it’s something you can’t take back,” added Socorro Urbano, another victim.
At the hearing, several women recounted having invasive procedures that sometimes resulted in infertility. “Not just me, but everyone she took that right away from. I wasn’t done having kids, and she took it from me,” said Katie Hart, one of the patients who spoke out.
Attorney Adam Snyder, who represents nearly 100 of Ghosh’s former patients, criticized the doctor’s actions, especially noting that many of the victims were lower-income women of color. “She took the fertility of women, for them to trust healthcare. The ability of women to develop families of their own, she took that,” Snyder said.
The case also highlighted the severe emotional and physical toll the fraudulent procedures took on the victims. “At least she will be in prison, and I will be living free. She can no longer harm anybody,” said another former patient, Christie.
In addition to the prison sentence, Ghosh has been ordered to surrender her medical license. She is set to report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons in September. Civil lawsuits are now being filed against Ghosh to provide restitution for her victims. Ghosh did not make any comments after the sentencing.
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