Patients of OB-GYN convicted of fraud asked to write victim impact statements

Former patients of a longtime Chesapeake OB-GYN convicted of numerous fraud counts last year will get a chance to tell the court how their lives were impacted by his actions before he’s sentenced, prosecutors said.

Dr. Javaid Perwaiz was found guilty of 51 counts of health care fraud and making false statements at the end of a month-long trial in November.

The maximum possible term the 70-year-old faces is 465 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for March 31 in U.S. District Court in Norfolk. Seating will be extremely limited due to social distancing restrictions being enforced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Multiple women testified at trial about how Perwaiz performed surgeries on them they later learned were unnecessary. Several others had their pregnancies induced early simply to fit the doctor’s schedule. Prosecutors argued Perwaiz did it all to fund a lavish lifestyle.

According to a press release issued Friday by the prosecutor’s office, anyone who believes they “were harmed by Perwaiz’s criminal actions” can provide a letter to the court to be considered at sentencing. They can be submitted in writing, or emailed, and must be received by March 24.

The letters should include the sender’s full name, contact information, and indicate whether the sender was a patient, employee of co-worker of the doctor’s. For patients, only their initials will be included in public court filings to protect their privacy, the release said.

Mailed letters should be sent to: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Attn. Darcel Sessoms, 101 W. Main Street, Suite 8000, Norfolk, VA 23510. Emailed letters can be sent to: usavae.perwaiz.medical.records@usdoj.gov.

Jane Harper, 757-2225097, jane.harper@pilotonline.com