“Do No Harm,” A Special Hour Anchored and Reported by Holt, Airs on Sunday, January 17 at 8pm/7c
25 People Whose Lives Were Torn Apart by Dr. Farid Fata’s Cancer Fraud Share Their Harrowing Stories in An Emotional Group Interview for the First Time
NEW YORK – January 12, 2016 – In an exclusive joint interview, victims of Michigan oncologist Farid Fata’s horrific crimes and the family members of patients who died while under his care share their unfathomable stories of misdiagnosis and overtreatment, together for the first time. On Sunday, January 17 at 8pm/7c, NBC’s Dateline will air “Do No Harm,” a revealing new investigation about one of the most egregious Medicare fraud cases in U.S. history, reported and hosted by NBC Nightly News and Dateline anchor Lester Holt.
The special hour takes viewers inside Fata’s web of lies that took years to expose, featuring Holt’s extensive conversations with individuals who were involved in the case and instrumental in unraveling Fata’s scheme; former patient Monica Flagg, whistleblower George Karadsheh, Dr. Soe Maunglay, Oncology Nurse Angela Swantek, and U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade.
Fata, who is 50 years old, is currently in jail and was sentenced in July 2015 to 45 years in prison on counts of fraud, conspiracy and money laundering. Fata billed Medicare and insurance companies for an estimated $34 million in fraudulent claims by recommending chemotherapy and other costly treatments for people who did not have cancer, and over-medicating patients who did have the disease. Prosecutors said he violated more than 550 patients’ trust and raked in more than $17 million in fraudulent profits.
Watch a preview of “Do No Harm” here: http://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/video/preview-dateline-exclusive-do-no-harm-599937091517
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Dateline NBC is the award-winning newsmagazine known for its distinctive storytelling on a wide range of topics from true crime investigations and mysteries, to breaking news reports and special series. It airs on NBC in primetime and reaches an average audience of 7 million viewers and is followed by more than 2 million across social media platforms. David Corvo is the senior executive producer, Liz Cole is the executive producer and Lester Holt is the primary anchor of “Dateline NBC” (Fridays at 9pm/8c). Follow Dateline NBC on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @datelinenbc and on Snapchat at dateline.nbc.
For more information contact:
Brianne Beers
NBC News
