12-May-17 – The threat of skin cancer motivated 16 people to undergo treatment from a dermatologist in the Loop but it was a scam. They did not have actinic keratosis, treatment for which the doctor was billing his patients’ health insurance.

Dr. Omeed Memar was convicted on Wednesday on federal fraud charges by a jury in Chicago after a seven-day trial.

From 2007 to 2013, Dr. Memar submitted claims to multiple health insurance programs, falsely stating his treatments were medically necessary to treat the skin condition – rough, scaly lesions caused by years of sun exposure. According to Mayo Clinic, a small percentage of these lesions can become skin cancer.

But Memar (left) knew many of his patients did not actually have actinic keratosis, say prosecutors, and the diagnosis in each of their charts was fictitious.

Treatment included intense pulsed light used to cure a variety of skin conditions. Employees of Dr. Memar were told to create patient charts that made it appear the treatments had destroyed large numbers of lesions. In many cases, Memar did not even examine the patient during the visit.

Some patients were told the light treatments were for conditions other than actinic keratosis, but that is what was billed to their health insurance.

The conviction includes eight counts of health care fraud and eight counts of making false statements in a health care matter. Memar will be sentenced on September 28. The maximum sentence is 120 years in prison.