Virginia OBGYN Convicted in $20 Million Medical Fraud Scheme
Dr. Javaid Perwaiz, a Virginia-based obstetrician-gynecologist, has been sentenced to 59 years in prison for orchestrating one of the most extensive medical fraud cases in recent American history. Over more than three decades, Perwaiz billed insurance companies up to $20 million by performing thousands of unnecessary surgeries on hundreds of unsuspecting women at his OBGYN practice.
Decades of Deception and False Diagnoses
According to FBI investigations, Perwaiz systematically convinced vulnerable patients that their health was in imminent danger, falsely diagnosing them with cancer or claiming they were at high risk. He then pressured these women into immediate, invasive surgical procedures that were medically unnecessary. The FBI stated that Perwaiz's motivation was "simple greed"—the more surgeries he performed, regardless of medical necessity, the more money he collected from Medicaid, Medicare, Tricare, and private insurance providers.
Perwaiz lived a lavish lifestyle funded by this fraudulent scheme, shopping at high-end stores and owning five luxury cars while his patients suffered severe physical and psychological consequences. He was convicted on 52 of 63 felony counts for healthcare fraud in 2021, culminating in his lengthy prison sentence.
Victims' Harrowing Experiences
Dracena Holloway, now 42, began seeing Perwaiz as her OBGYN in 2001 when she was just 19 years old. Over nearly two decades under his care, she underwent more surgeries than she could count, including an involuntary hysterectomy and numerous major procedures based on false cancer diagnoses.
"All the times that I signed papers, I was under anesthesia," Holloway revealed. At one particularly devastating moment, shortly after her mother died from stomach cancer, Perwaiz told Holloway she was suffering from the same condition. "I went into the office and he said, 'We're going to have to do a surgery on you because you have cancer like your mother.' And I started to cry," she recalled. "I remember, I said, 'No, my mother just died. I don't want to die like my mom.'"
Holloway later discovered she never had cancer and that Perwaiz lacked the qualifications to perform the surgery he convinced her was necessary. The mother of six now deals with debilitating long-term side effects that have forced her out of her warehouse job. "I can't stand on my feet after four hours," she explained. "It hurts really badly. And it's crazy because like when I try to sit down, I feel the pressure... it hurts really, really bad."
Systematic Abuse and Additional Victims
Jivondra Tucker, 39, underwent at least 14 surgeries during the nine years she was under Perwaiz's care, including three procedures in just one month during April 2013. The mother of four was one of at least 500 victims who have joined the lawsuit against Chesapeake Regional Medical Center.
Tucker began seeing Perwaiz in 2010 on a friend's recommendation when she was just 22. He eventually diagnosed her with stage three cancer while she was pregnant with her son. "He told me that I was going to die," Tucker recounted. Perwaiz recommended she deliver her son early at 37 weeks via C-section, and while recovering from delivery, a nurse informed her that she'd had her tubes tied—a procedure she never authorized.
Years later, Tucker discovered she never had cancer and never actually had her tubes tied. "I trust him with my life and I'm thinking that he saved my life and the whole time he doesn't," she said. "He's hurting me the whole time." Tucker now suffers constant pain requiring frequent physical therapy while managing Crohn's disease, and she developed an addiction to painkillers as a result of the numerous unnecessary operations.
Massive Lawsuit Against Medical Center
In December 2025, Holloway hired out-of-state attorney Victoria Wickman and spearheaded a massive lawsuit against Chesapeake Regional Medical Center, where Perwaiz practiced. The lawsuit has since grown to include approximately 1,000 plaintiffs, most of whom are Black women, making it one of the largest healthcare civil rights cases in modern American history.
New York lawyers Anthony T. DiPietro and Victoria Wickman are leading the case, which they describe as "the biggest lawsuit that no one has heard about yet." The complaint alleges that Chesapeake Regional Medical Center was "complicit" in Perwaiz's malpractice, enabling him to perform unnecessary, harmful, and life-altering procedures for nearly a decade despite clear evidence of prior misconduct.
"CRMC's actions have impacted generations of Chesapeake families," Wickman stated. "Women seeking care were instead subjected to a Frankenstein-style chop shop, their families forced to pick up the pieces. Children were delivered prematurely to their physical detriment to fit a schedule and maximize revenue. Hundreds of women were sterilized, and more continue to come forward."
Medical Center's Response and Historical Context
Chesapeake Regional Medical Center clarified that Perwaiz was never a direct employee but operated independently out of their hospital. In a statement, they expressed "tremendous empathy for the individuals harmed" while noting they cooperated with the government investigation that led to Perwaiz's conviction.
The lawsuit names several current and former hospital executives, alleging they actively participated in enabling Perwaiz's misconduct. DiPietro claimed hospital officials silenced those who tried to speak up, telling them, "Just be quiet. He's making us a lot of money."
Historical records reveal that Perwaiz was censured in 1982 by the Virginia Board of Medicine for performing unnecessary surgeries and having a sexual relationship with a patient—a warning sign that plaintiffs argue should have prevented his continued practice.
The case continues to unfold as hundreds of victims seek compensation for what Wickman describes as "the largest healthcare civil rights violation in modern American history," with women facing lifelong physical and psychological consequences from procedures they never needed.
