A Detroit doctor is facing the former patients and surviving family members whose lives he destroyed.  They’re testifying at the sentencing hearing for Dr. Farid Fata, who was convicted of insurance fraud for telling his patients they had cancer and subjecting them to expensive chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

But such therapies are not harmless.  Chemotherapy often has horrible side effects that are the trade off for ridding the body of killer tumors.  Patient after patient testified about how their lives and health went downhill after being repeatedly poisoned by Dr. Fata, who then submitted the lofty bills to insurers and to Medicare.  You see.. in America’s sociopathic healthcare system, Oncologists and hospitals take huge mark-ups on the cost of cancer drugs.  There’s nothing but profit motive for unscrupulous physicians and specialists.

Dr. Fata told Robert Sobieray that he had metastatic bone cancer, and given the chemotherapy Zometa.  But Fata also lied about the side effects of the drug, which can cause bone death – particularly in the human jaw.

“Fata told Robert that Zometa doesn’t cause anything,” Sobiery told the court, “I have one tooth left.  I had to have pieces of my gums and teeth cut out.”

Some of Fata’s patients in and around the former American “Motor City” didn’t survive the poisoning with chemo. 

“You murdered my dad.  You poisoned him.  You tortured and murdered my dad,” said Laura Stedtefelt, referring to her father Pier Marino Zanotti, who lingered for four years.

“My dad’s one question to you, as I heard many times today, was ‘Doctor, how much longer?’  His question went with him to his grave.  I have many wishes for you.  I wish you painful days, I wish you never see your family again.  I wish you are haunted by the evil that you have done.  I want your question to be how much longer and the answer be 175 years.  Take that to your grave.”

Christopher Sneary did have cancer, but was grossly over-treated by Fata in the two years preceding the doctor’s arrest in 2013.  Sneary had 40 days of chemo, 14 days of hydration, three iron infusions, three blood transfusions, 24 steroid injections and 37 radiation treatments – for a testicular cancer that other doctors testified should have been easy to treat.  Sneary now suffers from numbness in his hands and feet.  His kidneys almost failed and his bladder and liver were damaged.  He eventually underwent unnecessary surgery to remove the testicle, affecting his sex life.

“You’re a cowardly bastard with no regard for human life,” Sneary told Fata.

22 former patients gave victims’ statements to the court.  Prosecutors said Fata did this to 500 patients over the years.  They’re asking the court to sentence Fata to 175 years in prison.  Fata’s defense says that sentence should be 25-years.  They’ll call defense witnesses on Thursday to try and save the diabolical doctor from the fate wish upon him by his victims.

The court will sentence Dr. Fata after that.