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The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
A federal indictment released on Friday provides details regarding the 2024 raid of a women’s clinic that led to 23 charges against a Memphis gynecologist.
44-year-old Dr. Sanjeev Kumar operated the Poplar Avenue Clinic Women’s Health and Med Spa. He was arrested last week after being indicted on charges that include performing unnecessary procedures, reusing disposable materials, fraudulently billing Medicare and Medicaid, and enticing individuals across state lines for illicit sexual activity.
The indictment states that Kumar “engaged in a series of crimes, frauds, and other acts that abused the trust of both the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and his patients.” These crimes are said to have occurred between September 2019 and June 2024.
Back in April 2024, the Poplar Avenue Clinic was raided by the FBI, TBI, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General. The latter office is responsible for investigation of Medicare and Medicaid fraud or abuse.
According to the indictment, investigators say that Kumar was performing medical procedures that were not needed and was profiting after billing Medicare and Medicaid. He is also accused of reusing medical devices that were intended to be disposed of after a single use, often without appropriate cleaning or sterilization, while still billing for new items.
“Kumar directed his staff to prepare the aforementioned single-use medical devices for reuse by soaking them in a plastic container of cleaning agents in the exam rooms. He further directed staff to change out the cleaning agent every two weeks, approximately. At times, multiple single-use medical devices were placed in the same plastic container to soak together in the cleaning agent. Before reuse, the medical devices would be removed from the cleaning agent and rinsed under tap water,” explains the indictment.
Documents allege that Kumar instructed his staff to continue to use the devices “until they broke or became too obstructed to observe the patient’s uterine cavity.” It is also stated that Kumar hired inexperienced staff members so they could be easily trained to follow his procedures.
The indictment also alleges that Kumar and his staff regularly performed unnecessary procedures so he could bill for them, including procedures done on minors who were there for their first visit.
Kumar was also indicted on four counts of enticement and inducement to travel to engage in illegal sex acts. He allegedly enticed at least four individuals to cross state lines with the intent of illicit sexual activity.
If convicted on all 23 counts in the indictment, Kumar faces a possible sentence of up to 307 years in a federal prison. There is no chance for parole with a federal sentence.
The FBI is urging anyone who believes they may have been victimized by Kumar to visit their website and complete a questionnaire so that agents can reach out to them.
One Response
GOOD!!