OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — An Oklahoma abortionist who was arrested for fraud last month has agreed to give up his medical license while an investigation is ongoing into allegations that he has been cheating women and prescribed abortion pills to three undercover officers who weren’t pregnant.
Naresh Patel operates the Outpatient Services for Women facility in Oklahoma City, and has long been scrutinized by the government, as well as pro-life groups, for his questionable practices.
In the early 1990’s, he came under investigation for burning the bodies of nearly 60 aborted babies in a field near Shawnee, but was never punished over the matter. He has also faced an estimated two dozen lawsuits, being sued by a former employee for sexual harassment, as well as a client who alleged that she was sexually assaulted during her abortion, among other civil suits.
Now Patel faces up to 13 years behind bars as he has been charged with racketeering and obtaining money under false pretenses for lying to women about their pregnancies and thus prescribing medications and services for financial gain. According to reports, investigators were first tipped off about the matter after the sister of a woman who paid $520 for an abortion in 2011 died months later from complications from cervical cancer—with her family learning later from an autopsy that she was never pregnant.
“When we reviewed the death certificate, it stated she had not been pregnant in the last 12 months. And in speaking with the doctors, we were informed it would’ve been medically impossible for her to have been pregnant in August 2011 based on how severe her cervical cancer was at that time,” Asst. Attorney General Megan Tilly told reporters.
Therefore, three undercover female agents with the Oklahoma Medical Licensure Board, the Oklahoma City Police Department and the Attorney General’s Office all made appointments at Patel’s abortion facility, each knowing that they were not pregnant. They then received ultrasounds and pregnancy tests, and were all informed by Patel that they were pregnant.
The abortionist gave each of the women a prescription for the abortion drug Mifepristone, also known as RU 486, and provided instructions on how to administer the medication. He then charged them $620 for the services, which were all unnecessary.
Last month, Patel was arrested and charged with racketeering and fraud following the undercover operation.
“This type of fraudulent activity and blatant disregard for the health and well-being of Oklahoma women will not be tolerated,” Oklahoma Attorney General Pruitt said in a statement. “Oklahoma women should be able to trust that the advice they receive from their physicians is truthful, accurate and does not jeopardize their health. This investigation is a textbook demonstration of inter-agency cooperation to protect Oklahomans and prosecute the worst offenders.”
But Pruitt believed that Patel should also be stripped of his medical license in addition to facing criminal charges.
“They have ample reason to review whether he should be practicing medicine in the state of Oklahoma. From my perspective, he shouldn’t be,” he said. “There’s a process to address this and the board should implement that process.”
This week, the abortionist agreed not to practice medicine while his case moved forward in court.
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