A West Bloomfield oncologist, Dr. Naveed Aslam, 52, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison today for his role in a multimillion-dollar operation to illegally sell and divert expensive prescription cancer medications. Following Dr. Aslam’s guilty plea to the charges, U.S. District Judge Brandy R. McMillion ordered the sentence.
In addition to the prison sentence, Judge McMillion ordered Aslam to lose more than $2.6 million, which represented the earnings from his criminal activity.
United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr., made the announcement alongside key leaders from the investigating agencies, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the United States Food and Drug Administration.
According to court papers, the illicit plot ran from 2019 until 2023. Dr. Aslam, a licensed oncologist at Somerset Hematology and Oncology, P.C., collaborated with co-conspirators to buy and sell expensive cancer drugs for profit outside of the authorized supply chain.
The coconspirators selected consumers who wanted certain, pricey prescription cancer medications but couldn’t get them lawfully. They would then seek the medications from Dr. Aslam, who utilized his medical practice access to obtain and purchase the drugs from his source. Dr. Aslam then unlawfully sold the drugs to his co-conspirators’ company, which eventually distributed them to clients.
Dr. Aslam’s practice only allowed him to use these medications in his medical practice. By law, he was prohibited from selling or diverting prescription cancer treatments outside of the FDA’s authorized supply chain, which is vital to assuring the prescriptions’ safety and effectiveness.
The medications involved, which are intended to treat serious illnesses such as metastatic cervical, breast, bladder, and urinary tract malignancies, are extremely hazardous and must be handled carefully. Dr. Aslam personally pocketed over $2.6 million after acquiring and selling over $17 million in prescription cancer medications during the fraud.
While officials acknowledged that there was no proof of patient injury, they emphasized that the strategy put patients at serious danger.
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