A Sterling Heights doctor was slapped with a jail sentence for illegally practicing medicine, Michigan officials said Wednesday. Husam Thamin Abed, 54, received 30 days behind bars, along with a bout of hefty fines, after a Kent County jury found him guilty of treating patients without a valid license.
According to the report by WWJ Newsradio, Abed was convicted in March of six counts of unauthorized practice, and the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs began scrutinizing his work in May 2022. The state's medical board spurred LARA to file a complaint against Abed, citing a "departure from acceptable medical standards."
Following the complaint, LARA didn't hesitate and pulled Abed's medical license within a week. Yet, investigations revealed that Abed continued to see patients at his clinic, igniting concerns over patient safety and care. "Practicing medicine without a license or while that license is suspended is a serious health risk and can expose patients to unsafe or ineffective care," stated Attorney General Dana Nessel, according to a Michigan Department of Attorney General press release.
The disgraced urogynecologist was not only ordered to serve jail time, but also to fork over more than $3,500 in fines and costs, a repercussion deemed fit for the gravity of his actions. Abed's list of financial penalties includes a $2,000 fine, $1,000 in court costs, $60 for DNA costs, a $130 Crime Victim Rights assessment, and $340 in state costs, unraveled Nessel's office.
The case, which was handled by the attorney general’s Health Care Fraud Division, sends a clear warning to the medical field: strict compliance with licensing regulations is non-negotiable. The division, tasked with rooting out fraud and misconduct, operates with both federal and state backs, boasting a grant of over $5.5 million for the current fiscal year to safeguard the integrity of health care in Michigan.
