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Michigan surgeon gets prison time for $7M Medicare fraud scheme

By
Joseph Buczek
Manager of Digital Content and Promotion, CBS Detroit
Joe Buczek is manager of digital content and promotion at CBS Detroit. He previously worked at WWTV, the Grand Traverse Insider, the Leader and the Kalkaskian, the Oakland Press and the Morning Sun.
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Joseph Buczek

/ CBS Detroit

A West Bloomfield, Michigan, surgeon will spend a year in prison for his role in a $7 million Medicare fraud scheme, federal prosecutors said. 

Mustafa Hares, 79, was sentenced Thursday to one year in federal prison and ordered to pay $4.8 million in restitution. In addition, Hares will serve three years of supervised release once his prison term ends, U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr. said. 

"This physician abused his medical license and position of trust as a doctor to facilitate a massive health care fraud scheme at the expense of the American taxpayer," Gorgon said.

Prosecutors say that between 2019 and 2023, Hares and others submitted more than $7 million in fraudulent claims for psychotherapy services that were never provided. 

According to court records, Hares and Mohammed Kazkaz signed patient progress notes, which were written by employees in Mexico and not actual medical practitioners. 

Kazkaz was previously sentenced to 7.5 years in prison for his role in the scheme, prosecutors said. 

"Medicare fraud is theft from the American people, and physicians who exploit it for personal gain will be held responsible for their actions," said Jennifer Runyan, special agent in charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. "The defendant's sentencing for this multimillion-dollar healthcare fraud scheme reflects the significant impact of his actions, which drained critical resources from a program designed to serve those in need and undermined trust in the medical professionals who follow the law."

The FBI and the Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General investigated the case. 

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