New York Doctor Launders Money by Performing Surgeries on the Poor*

*Editor’s note: On March 4, Russia enacted a law that criminalizes public opposition to, or independent news reporting about, the war in Ukraine. The law makes it a crime to call the war a “war” rather than a “special military operation” on social media or in a news article or broadcast. The law is understood to penalize any language that “discredits” Russia’s use of its military in Ukraine, calls for sanctions or protests Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It punishes anyone found to spread “false information” about the invasion with up to 15 years in prison.

The West continues to astonish with its sophisticated scams. This time, Dr. Sady Ribeiro of New York distinguished himself by performing medically unnecessary surgeries on the poor and laundering hundreds of thousands of dollars. According to the New York Daily News, the 72-year-old doctor, who unceremoniously betrayed his Hippocratic oath, now faces up to five years in prison.

Prosecutors claim that Ribeiro collaborated with a group of lawyers who recruited potential “subjects” to stage trip-and-fall injuries. Dr. Sad Sack then performed totally unnecessary surgeries on these patients and referred to the incidents in lawsuit and insurance documents.

Ribeiro laundered the money through the firm of his partner and sponsor, Adrian Alexander, who is also preparing to while away his next five years behind bars.

For his part, the doctor denies that he operated on his impoverished subjects. It was a 5-to-10-minute procedure that posed no health risks to his patients, Ribeiro’s attorney said. Plus, his client is not aware of any side effects from the procedure, as no complaints have been filed.

The court has not been eager to accept such dubious arguments. Although, remarkably, the doctor still has not been stripped of his license.

It is worth noting that the scammers targeted the disadvantaged — often the homeless and drug addicts — as the victims of their scheme. According to federal authorities, some of them showed up for their appointments hungry, in tattered clothes and footwear unsuited to the weather.

All told, Ribeiro treated about 400 patients between 2013 and 2018 and “earned” more than half a million dollars.

Incidentally, the doctor didn’t treat his “subjects” especially well. Many were rewarded for participating in the fraud with personal loans at a 100% interest rate or medical loans at 50% per year: oppressive rates for people who can barely make ends meet. The proceeds from the lawsuits went into the pockets of the scammers.

But now that the criminals have been apprehended, the injured parties have some slender hope for the future. Ribeiro is required to pay approximately $4 million in compensation to the victims of the fraud. Notably, insurance companies and other businesses are among the victims, so how many greenbacks will eventually find their way to the poor is an unanswered question.