Texas Doctor Sentenced to 10 Years for $118 Million Healthcare Fraud Scheme Involving Fake Diagnoses and Lavish Spending

Jorge Zamora-Quezada was sentenced to 10 years in prison for defrauding patients and insurance firms out of millions of dollars

A Texas rheumatologist who falsely diagnosed healthy patients with serious chronic illnesses to fund his extravagant lifestyle has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison. Jorge Zamora-Quezada, 68, orchestrated a $118 million healthcare fraud scheme that spanned two decades, exploiting vulnerable patients and defrauding government and private insurance programs.

Operating out of his clinic in Mission, Texas, Zamora-Quezada misled patients into believing they had rheumatoid arthritis, a painful and incurable autoimmune condition. Patients were subjected to aggressive and unnecessary treatment regimens that included infusions, injections, MRIs, x-rays, and medications with toxic side effects—all of which were medically unjustified.

Many patients experienced devastating health outcomes. Some developed strokes, liver damage, necrosis of the jawbone, severe pain, and other debilitating side effects. One patient told the court, “Constantly being in bed and being unable to get up from bed alone, and being pumped with medication, I didn’t feel like my life had any meaning.” A mother likened her child to a lab rat due to the volume of medications prescribed by the doctor.

Jorge Zamora-Quezada was sentenced to 10 years in prison for defrauding patients and insurance firms out of millions of dollars

Zamora-Quezada falsified medical records to obtain payouts from Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, and Blue Cross Blue Shield, ultimately stealing more than $28 million from these insurers. Other doctors in the Rio Grande Valley testified during the 25-day trial, saying it was immediately evident that the patients did not have rheumatoid arthritis when they sought second opinions.

The fraud extended beyond patients to the clinic’s staff. Zamora-Quezada created a climate of fear and control, referring to himself as “eminencia,” or eminence. He hired foreign medical workers on J-1 visas who were vulnerable due to their immigration status and unlikely to challenge his authority. Staff members were ordered to fabricate patient records or use themselves as stand-ins during ultrasounds to cover up missing files. Thousands of patient records were found stored in a rodent-infested shed, with many documents damaged by feces and urine.

The records storage of Zamora-Quezada’s office after his arrest

With the stolen funds, Zamora-Quezada amassed a luxury portfolio that included 13 properties in the U.S. and Mexico, a twin-engine private jet, and a Maserati GranTurismo. He used taxpayer money and false medical claims to maintain his opulent lifestyle while betraying the trust of his patients and employees.

The two-engine, six-passenger jet Zamora-Quezada purchased with the money he got through his scheme

Federal prosecutors described his conduct as “depraved” and a “profound betrayal” of medical ethics. Zamora-Quezada was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, seven counts of health care fraud, and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice. In addition to his prison sentence, he was ordered to forfeit $28,245,454, his real estate assets, the private jet, and his luxury vehicle.

Authorities stated that the sentencing sends a strong message: doctors who exploit their patients for personal gain will face serious consequences.

One of Zamora-Quezada’s real estate properties that he was ordered to forfeit after his conviction