Los Gatos Weekly-Times

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Los Gatos doctor pleads guilty in case of unnecessary surgery

By Judy Peterson

A Los Gatos doctor has pleaded guilty to charges he performed unnecessary surgery on an elderly patient and committed insurance fraud.

Ali Moayed, 41, will be sentenced to one year in county jail.

According to the district attorney's office, Moayed falsified the pathology report of an 87-year-old patient to show he had prostate cancer. Moayed, a former urologist, performed a procedure on the man that is known as brachytherapy. This is a form of radiation therapy that requires a patient to undergo general anesthesia so that radioactive "seeds" can be inserted into or adjacent to the cancer.

The district attorney also says Moayed falsified the records of two other patients but the fraud was uncovered before they underwent the procedure.

In addition to the jail time, Moayed will be required to pay the California Medical Board $50,000 for investigative costs, plus $15,000 in restitution to Medi-Cal. After Moayed has served his jail sentence, he will be required to perform 100 hours of community service. He will be on probation for three years and has surrendered his medical license.