In Memphis, Tennessee, a gynecologist has been taken into custody, facing accusations of performing needless medical procedures using contaminated, reused medical instruments. Dr. Sanjeev Kumar, 44 years old, has been charged with enticing individuals to travel across state lines for illicit sexual activities, tampering with and mislabelling medical devices, and committing healthcare fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Memphis.
The court records do not list an attorney for Kumar, nor was there an immediate reply to a call left at his office. Dr. Kumar’s practice is based in Memphis, and between September 2019 and June 2024, he is alleged to have committed acts of sexual abuse against women by conducting unneeded medical procedures. These procedures were reportedly executed using tools kept under poor sanitary conditions and reused without proper sterilization, even when guidelines required their disposal or correct processing before reuse.
Prosecutors assert that Kumar failed to inform his patients about the reuse of these devices and fraudulently billed Medicare and Medicaid as though the procedures were necessary. He allegedly claimed each procedure utilized a new or appropriately sanitized device. Acting U.S. Attorney Fondren noted that Kumar often ranked as the highest billing provider in Tennessee for hysteroscopy biopsies, which are diagnostic procedures enabling physicians to examine the inside of the uterus.
Federal authorities suspect that more patients may have been affected by the alleged criminal acts of Kumar. “These allegations suggest that Kumar used his medical profession as a guise to prey on patients, endanger them, and financially gain from these unethical acts,” Fondren remarked in a public statement.
