Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr., U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan | Department of Justice
A Metro Detroit surgeon was sentenced on April 16 to one year in federal prison for participating in a scheme that submitted fraudulent claims totaling more than $7 million to Medicare, according to an announcement from United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by federal authorities to combat healthcare fraud and protect taxpayer-funded programs such as Medicare.
Mustafa Hares, age 79, of West Bloomfield, received his sentence from U.S. District Court Judge Gershwin A. Drain. In addition to the prison term, Hares was ordered to pay $4.8 million in restitution and will serve three years of supervised release after his incarceration. According to court records, between 2019 and 2023 Hares and others submitted false claims for psychotherapy services that were never provided. The scheme involved signing patient progress notes written by employees based in Mexico rather than licensed medical providers. Mohammed Kazkaz, who participated with Hares in the operation, had previously been sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for his role.
United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. said, “This physician abused his medical license and position of trust as a doctor to facilitate a massive health care fraud scheme at the expense of the American taxpayer. We must eradicate fraud.”
Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office, said: “Medicare fraud is theft from the American people, and physicians who exploit it for personal gain will be held responsible for their actions... Together, we remain committed to protecting the integrity of our healthcare system and those who depend on it.”
Mario Pinto, Special Agent in Charge at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), added: “Patients place enormous trust in their medical providers... When practitioners misuse their credentials to authorize false services, they jeopardize the care and well-being of the very people these programs are designed to protect.”
Federal officials report that this prosecution is part of broader efforts by the Department of Justice’s National Fraud Enforcement Division—an initiative supporting President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud—to investigate misuse or theft involving federal benefit programs.
The investigation was conducted by HHS-OIG and FBI agents; Assistant United States Attorneys Regina R. McCullough and Philip A. Ross are prosecuting.
