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The case of Michigan surgeon $7M Medicare fraud reached its final chapter Thursday as a once-trusted physician was sentenced to prison for orchestrating a multimillion-dollar scheme that drained public healthcare funds like a slow, unseen leak in a critical system.

Federal prosecutors said Mustafa Hares, 79, of West Bloomfield, Michigan, was sentenced to one year in federal prison for his role in the fraud. He was also ordered to repay $4.8 million and will serve three years of supervised release after completing his sentence.

A breach of trust in the medical field

U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr. condemned the actions, saying Hares exploited both his medical license and the trust placed in him as a physician.

“This physician abused his position of trust to facilitate a massive health care fraud scheme at the expense of the American taxpayer,” Gorgon said.

The case underscores how a profession built on care and credibility can be weaponized when ethics collapse.

Millions billed for services never rendered

According to prosecutors, the scheme unfolded between 2019 and 2023, when Hares and his associates submitted more than $7 million in fraudulent Medicare claims for psychotherapy services that were never actually provided.

Court documents revealed a striking detail: patient progress notes were signed off by Hares and co-conspirator Mohammed Kazkaz, but the notes themselves were written by employees in Mexico who were not licensed medical professionals.

The paperwork created the illusion of legitimate care—like a stage set dressed to look real, while no true service existed behind the curtain.

Co-defendant already sentenced

Kazkaz had previously been sentenced to 7.5 years in prison for his role in the operation, marking a harsher penalty in a case that prosecutors say siphoned millions from a system designed to protect vulnerable patients.

Federal agencies crack down on healthcare fraud

Jennifer Runyan, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office, said the case highlights the broader impact of Medicare fraud on the public.

“Medicare fraud is theft from the American people,” Runyan said, adding that such crimes drain essential resources and erode trust in legitimate medical professionals.

The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, both of which continue to target large-scale healthcare fraud schemes across the country.

A costly lesson for the system

As the sentence is handed down, the case stands as a stark reminder of how easily trust can be manipulated—and how costly that betrayal can become.

What began as paperwork and signatures ultimately unraveled into a federal conviction, exposing a system exploited from within and leaving behind a cautionary tale written in millions of dollars.