Cancer doctor's victims get restitution 5 years later

DETROIT (AP) — More than $4 million has been distributed to hundreds of people who were victims of a Detroit-area doctor’s bogus diagnoses.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said restitution from Farid Fata was recently completed for his former patients, five years after he was sentenced to 45 years in prison.

Fata poisoned patients through needless cancer treatments that wrecked their health and, in some cases, contributed to their death, according to the government. He pleaded guilty to fraud, money laundering and conspiracy in 2014.

More than 600 people filed claims for out-of-pocket expenses, such as co-payments and insurance deductibles, as well as funeral expenses. It was a long process that involved the government, an outside contractor and judges at U.S. District Court.

Medicare and insurance companies are eligible for restitution after Fata’s former patients.