Fraud cancer doctor receives 45-year sentence; victims say not enough

The local doctor who put hundreds of people through unnecessary cancer treatments to collect insurance money has been given a 45-year prison term. 

Dr. Farid Fata's unusual sentencing was a five-day process. 

U.S. District Judge Paul Borman heard from experts who criticized how Fata treated patients. He's also heard distressful stories from about two dozen patients. Witnesses were also called to rebut some of the unflattering testimony about Fata. 

Prosecutors had been seeking a 175-year prison term for the 50-year-old doctor. He had been calling for 25 years. 

Fata cried in court Friday morning before the sentence was handed down, as his defense attorney told the judge "he has lost everything." Fata's family and children have moved out of the country. 

He also choked back tears as he spoke to the judge. 

"I stand before you so ashamed of my actions," he said. "I do not know what more to do to express my sorrow and shame."

Fata has pleaded guilty to fraud, money laundering and conspiracy. The government says he put patients through grueling treatments that weren't necessary, simply to milk millions of dollars from insurance companies. Some people didn't have cancer.

Fata is said to have billed upwards of $34 million in Medicare fraud. 

Victims and family members wore yellow to the sentencing to symbolize "the last of the sunshine [Fata] will get to see," as one victim's family member put it. 

Cameras are not allowed inside federal court. You can follow along, though, in FOX 2's Roop Raj's Twitter feed above. Or, click here.