◆ Former Virginia obstetrician/gynecologist Javaid Perwaiz was sentenced to 59 years in prison in connection with his conviction for performing irreversible hysterectomies, improper sterilizations and other medically unnecessary surgeries on his patients over a decade, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia said May 18.^[1] Perwaiz, who practiced in Hampton Roads, was convicted by a federal jury of 52 counts of health care fraud and other charges. “In many instances, Perwaiz would falsely tell his patients that they needed the surgeries because they had cancer, or to avoid cancer, in order to induce them to agree to the surgeries,” the U.S. Attorney’s office said. He “caused approximately $20.8 million dollars in losses to private and government health care insurers.”