Posted on 09/07/2006 8:40:46 AM PDT by weegee
A phony doctor whose phony flu vaccine was injected into more than 1,100 people is facing prison after pleading guilty in a Houston federal court.
Iyad Abu El Hawa could receive a maximum of 10 years in prison for health-care fraud and three years for misbranding a drug when he is sentenced on Dec. 4. He admitted guilt on one count of each charge Wednesday in U.S. District Judge Kenneth Hoyt's court.
El Hawa, 36, the owner of a Houston home health-care business, admitted that he used a doctor's name without authorization and purchased thousands of syringes and needles.
One of his employees filled the syringes with sterile water and they were given a fake bar code, authorities said. Medicare and Medicaid were billed for the injections of dozens of residents at two nursing homes last year.
In addition, investigators said, El Hawa planned to charge Exxon Mobil $20 apiece after inoculating 1,100 employees at a Baytown refinery.
The discovery of the fake vaccinations raised fears of contamination, leading health officials to urge recipients to get blood tests. They were found to be free of contaminants.
Martha Denise Gonzales, 49, of Baytown, is scheduled for trial Sept. 18 in Hoyt's court on accusations that she arranged for the phony flu shots. Gonzales, who is charged with conspiracy and tampering with a consumer product, remains free on a $50,000 bond.
The fraud was discovered by a nurse El Hawa had hired to help inoculate employees at the Exxon Mobil plant. The nurse gave two syringes to the FBI, which discovered El Hawa tossing a bag of syringes into a trash container across the street from his office, prosecutors said.
El Hawa initially told FBI agents that he was a plastic surgeon in Israel, but investigators learned that he had no formal training, education or experience in the prevention of communicable diseases.
Even so, El Hawa owned Comfort & Caring Home Health and controlled, or was associated with, America Home Health Care Services, Universal Home Healthcare Services and Universal Wound Care in Houston; and America Home Health Care Services in Baytown.
HOUSTON Ping
I believe a child died from flu due to a similar scam several years ago. This guy needs to go to the Big House for a long long time. And NOT work in the clinic.
The scariest part of this: is he a Muslim? What else could he have put in the syringes? Anthrax? And no charges for the unlawful disposal of sharps? ARGH!
I swear to God I saw virtually this exact same plot on a Law & Order rerun last night.
It may have been culled from the news. This case has been out there awhile.
No clue as to his background from this article.
This is ambiguous at best (and the word of a liar):
"El Hawa initially told FBI agents that he was a plastic surgeon in Israel,"
Iyad al-Hawa, 35, is a resident alien carrying both Jordanian and Israeli passports. He is being held as a flight risk.
is he a Muslim? What else could he have put in the syringes?<<<<
My first thought, too.
West Nile virus perhaps? We seem to be getting more cases of that here lately. Wonder if anyone is comparing the WNV victims against those who received bogus vacines from this POS.
My boss got WNV while in Houston. Hmmm....
Don't know.
Someone died of West Nile Virus last week. Believed to have been infected in Montgomery County. The strain (s)he hit the central nervous system.
The CDC/authorities would not disclose the name or location of the dead victim out of medical privacy. Screw that.
Try doing that the next time there is an outbreak of spinal meningitis at a school. You KNOW that they should disclose this information to those who have a reason to seek medical checkups.
I loathe this politically correct approach to disease (thanks to A.I.D.S.).
I believe Martha Gonzales aka Denise Gonzales is the same lady along with her husband who had opened a hamburger resturant in Baytown Texas called Pop’s Burgers. The employees were all college age kids with big dreams of becoming part of the Pop’s Burger Investment in Mount Belviue Texas. The employees were asked to invest several thousands of $ for 5% of all the sales each month,beginning December 2007. It never happened and Pop’s Burger, Baytown, doors were locked on the establishment b/c of NOT paying the current landlord. Now the employees are left without earned pay & cannot contact the Gonzales’. Poof - they have vanished along with the kids $$$$. Where do we turn for help?
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