NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Former patients and colleagues of Dr. Javaid Perwaiz will now have an opportunity to submit victim impact statements for consideration at his March sentencing.

The 70-year-old obstetrician-gynecologist operated a practice in Chesapeake and performed procedures and surgeries at local hospitals for nearly 40 years before he was arrested in November 2019.

Perwaiz was accused of performing unnecessary procedures and surgeries on unsuspecting women as part of a health insurance fraud scheme. A year later, a jury convicted Perwaiz of 51 counts of health care fraud and making false statements related to health care matters.

Perwaiz is scheduled to be sentenced in the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Virginia on March 31. He faces up to 465 years in prison for his crimes.

The case against Perwaiz included several former patients and colleagues who testified against him. On Friday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that they will not limit victim impact statements to those people who testified against the doctor.

The U.S. Attorney’s office will accept and consider victim impact statements submitted by anyone who believes they were harmed by Perwaiz’ criminal actions. People who want to file a victim impact statement for consideration must do so before March 24. The statement should be written in this format, which was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

People submitting victim impact statements should include their full name, their relationship to Perwaiz, and their contact information. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will file these statements using initials to protect the privacy of those who submit victim impact statements.

Victim impact statements should be submitted to the following person:

U.S. Attorney’s Office
Attn. Darcel Sessoms
101 W. Main Street, Suite 8000
Norfolk, VA 23510
Or via email

10 On Your Side recently published the first chapter of a new investigative project, “The Patients v. Perwaiz.” This series will include 10 chapters that will be published every Thursday until April 8. In those chapters, 10 On Your side investigates the experiences of about two dozen patients and nurses who knew Perwaiz in the 40 years before he was arrested.

To learn more, watch “The Patients v. Perwaiz.”

Additional Information

To ensure that members of the public, including current and former patients of Dr. Perwaiz, are informed of developments in this ongoing case, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has established a page on its website, available here.

The website currently includes a copy of the superseding indictment summarizing the charges filed against the defendant. The district court has authorized the U.S. Attorney’s Office to use this website as part of its obligations to notify potential victims.