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Tehachapi Doctor Implants Fake IUDs for Profit, Sentenced to 6 Months
FRESNO, Calif. – Dr. Paul S. Singh, 55, of Tehachapi, was sentenced to six months in prison, to be followed by one year of home detention, by United States District Judge Anthony W. Ishii, for a scheme to defraud patients and their insurers by implanting and billing for unapproved intrauterine devices (IUDs).
Singh, a medical doctor licensed to practice in California, had an office in Tehachapi, where he provided obstetric and gynecological services to women, including providing forms of birth control. He bought unapproved IUDs on the Internet and implanted them in his patients without their consent, then fraudulently billed their insurers for the higher cost of approved IUDs, which was false and fraudulent, according to court documents.
The FDA has approved only one IUD that uses copper as its active ingredient, the ParaGard T-380A, which was sold only by its manufacturer and not available on third-party websites. Doctors who implant a non-FDA-approved copper IUD risk a patient’s safety, increasing the risk of pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy, hysterectomy, and other serious complications, the FDA said.
Singh was warned multiple times about the dangers of unapproved IUDs, including bulletins and newsletters from the FDA, but he continued to implant them in his patients between April 2008 and June 2012, according to court documents. In August 2010, agents from the FDA confronted Singh about his history of implanting unapproved IUDs, and he agreed to stop, but continued to do so, agents discovered in 2012.
Many of Singh’s patients later complained to him and other doctors about medical complications associated with the IUD, but Singh responded by re-inserting the IUD rather than removing it, according to the plea agreement. Some patients had to switch doctors to have the IUD removed.
“Singh’s scheme risked the health of his patients and defrauded health care providers to benefit his bottom line,” said U.S. Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner. “The investigation and prosecution of health care fraud is a priority for my office, particularly where that fraud endangers innocent patients.”
Assistant United States Attorneys Patrick R. Delahunty and Kirk E. Sherriff prosecuted the case, which was the product of an investigation by the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations.”
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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