Wesley Blake Barber, Christopher Walker Charged in TVM Mesh Fraud

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — A nationwide scam targeting women with transvaginal mesh (TVM) implants has led to federal charges against Wesley Blake Barber, 49, of Detroit, Michigan, and Christopher Walker, 49, of Orlando, Florida. Both men were hit with a six-count indictment unsealed today in Brooklyn, exposing an alleged racket that profited from pressuring women into unnecessary surgeries to boost litigation payouts.

Barber, owner of Surgical Assistance Inc. and Medical Funding Consultants LLC, and Walker, a licensed urogynecologist and operator of MedSurg Holdings LLC, are each charged with wire fraud, violating the Travel Act, and related conspiracies. Authorities arrested both defendants this morning. Barber is scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Rebecca Rutherford in Dallas, Texas, while Walker faces U.S. Magistrate Judge Gregory Kelly in Orlando, Florida.

According to the indictment, the defendants exploited the TVM litigation system, where women who had their implants surgically removed qualified for larger settlements than those who kept them. The scheme allegedly involved misrepresenting the health risks of TVM devices and pushing victims to travel long distances to undergo removal surgeries performed by pre-selected doctors — including Walker — instead of their local providers.

Barber’s companies allegedly coordinated the surgical referrals, then purchased and resold the women’s resulting medical debt for profit. In return, Walker and others paid kickbacks and bribes to Barber for funneling patients into the operation. The indictment paints a picture of a calculated racket where medical decisions were driven not by patient care, but by financial gain.

“As alleged in the indictment, the defendants and their co-conspirators exploited and defrauded women, misrepresenting health risks from TVM implants to pressure the women to undergo procedures to the defendants’ economic advantage,” said Richard P. Donoghue, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. “This Office, the Department of Justice and the FBI will continue to investigate and prosecute medical professionals and others who prey on the vulnerable to line their own pockets.”

FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney, Jr. added, “They used the bodies of women as a conduit for their greedy behavior, and that is simply not allowed.” If convicted on all counts, Barber and Walker each face up to 90 years in prison. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Geddes and Trial Attorney Andrew Estes, with FBI handling the investigation. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.