Posted on 08/22/2004 7:57:49 AM PDT by fight_truth_decay
BANGOR,MAINE - A Caribou physician pleaded not guilty Friday to 118 counts of health care fraud, obstructing an investigation, making false claims and other charges.Bail for Dr. Osama El-Sayed Abdella El-Silimy was set at $200,000 in U.S. District Court.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Margaret Kravchuk gave the ear, nose and throat specialist until next week to post bail, which is expected to include a combination of property and cash.
El-Silimy, who is a British citizen, also was ordered to surrender his passport.
A federal grand jury indicted him Aug. 11. The charges stem from an investigation begun in May 2001 by at least three federal agencies into whether surgeries performed by the doctor were medically necessary.
If convicted, El-Silimy faces up to 15 years in prison and $500,000 in fines. His business, Aroostook E.N.T. Clinic in Caribou, faces an additional $500,000 in fines.
The physician is seeking a jury trial. The case was placed on the November trial list but most likely won't be ready for trial until next year.
El-Silimy, 60, was born in Egypt and received his medical education at the Royal College of Surgeons in Scotland. He has practiced in the United States since 1999, when he opened his clinic in Caribou.
El-Silimy is the sole officer and physician at the clinic, which has a branch office in Fort Kent. He also practices at clinics in Madawaska and Houlton.
In an Aug. 10 letter to his patients, El-Silimy hinted that he had been targeted for investigation because he is a Muslim and was born in Egypt.
"Apparently, the federal government believes that I have been performing surgeries that are 'unnecessary,' an allegation that I can only deny in the strongest possible terms," El-Silimy's letter says. "I know the source of these allegations and the motivations behind them, but it would do no good for me to complain about them in this letter."
"I must confess to you, dear friends, that I am afraid," the letter continues. "I am afraid because I am a Muslim living in the USA after the great tragedy of September 11, 2001. I am afraid that the publicity surrounding my prosecution will cause those who would otherwise support and trust me, to abandon and distrust me. I am afraid because I do not have the resources to fight the mighty central government, whose resources are boundless. Most of all, I am afraid that the charges against me will bring disgrace upon my family and sully the good and honorable name of my ancestors."
U.S. Attorney Paula Silsby declined Friday to comment on the letter because she had not seen it.
In court, Assistant U.S. Attorney James Moore, who is prosecuting the case, asked that bail be set at $400,000 - half to be unsecured and half to be secured with cash or property. He argued that the doctor was a flight risk because he had considerable assets, was not a U.S. citizen and lives near the Canadian border.
El-Silimy's attorney, Jay McCloskey of Bangor, told the judge that the defendant had left the country to attend his daughter's graduation from college in England, then returned to the United States while under investigation and therefore was not a flight risk.
McCloskey also said that the loss to insurance providers outlined in the 36-page indictment was $70,000 to $120,000, far less than the bail requested.
"To want this kind of bail is unreasonable," he said. "This is all about tying up his resources so he can't litigate against the government. ... He has an active medical practice and patients he needs to attend to. There's no basis for this kind of bail."
McCloskey also said that out of the nearly 3,000 patients El-Silimy has treated in Maine, only 13 were alleged in the indictment to have received "unnecessary" treatment.
"That's the Good Housekeeping seal of approval," he said. "I've seen a lot of indictments and very few really carried so little weight in terms of evidence."
In another part of the country today, Homeland Security Director of Charlotte, Wynn Mabry, was direct in his comments:
"Remember, we're all Americans who, number one, have been attacked; we're right in the middle of a war; and we know there are people out there who have basically told us they're going to get us."
"We're going to act differently. It might not be entirely fair, but don't point your finger at us in homeland security when we talk about vigilance and even profiling, because the groups that are out to kill us say they are Muslim warriors."
"If the Muslim community is anxious because they are being unfairly targeted, it is the antagonists out there that are using their religion as part of their cause."
On moving here two years ago my wife, a former ICU-RN, began the search for a local doctor.
She noticed this guy right away. Osama.
No stinkin way would we allow a muslim doctor near our bodies.
In the same vein- this guy prescribed treatments more dangerous to the patients than neccesary. Think any other muslim doctors are "playing the odds" with their infidel patient's health like this guy?
Finally, I'd be interested to see if any facts are available re: muslim doctors in the U.S. performing abortions for the infidels. Think about it, legal jihad on a mass scale. One muslim abortionist can top mohammed atta's gruesome tally every year and, get paid real well for it!
Kick them out now.
AV
I used to wonder what kind of monster could perform abortions. How can he/she live with themselves?
A jihadi muslim could not only live with themself, they would secretly celebrate their accomplishment.
Since 9/11 I've wondered: how many abortionists are muslim?
AV
This doctor is innocent because he's a Mohammedan just like
When a Mohammedan says 9-11 is a "tragedy" they mean it was tragic for Mohammedanism because they think their pig religion was unfairly targeted.
The doctor says the charges are not true. In this country he will have his say in court. My question is...if he has been investigated from way back a couple years or more ago...and they actually thought he was doing unnecessary surgies...then why wouldn't they have stopped it all back then...why would he be allowed to continue to work on "citizens" IF he were actually guilty? I don't think his patients would like to think they might be classified as some kind of collateral damage by investigators in our own country, would they? Hmmmm, I must now know enough about the way our government works when it comes to our citizens being in such circumstances, which is why I have doubts about the validity of accusations until they are proven. Too much craziness these days, to judge anyone before the truth comes out. However, regardless of what anyone wants to suppose...it should all come out during the trial, don't you think? I have read only 2 reports connected to this case in the Bangor paper and one up here in Caribou, and frankly we received the form letter the Doctor sent out to everyone BEFORE we read about it in the news. The guy seems nice enough and hasn't given us any reason to think he isn't honest. Guess it depends on if you live in the area or if you read it in some paper somewhere else. You know professional people from other countries don't just "arrive" here and go job hunting, they usually have had lots of contact with the place they will be working. I would think the company he works for or is sponsoring him to work in the U.S. checked the guy out.
GEESH, you came here two years ago! WOW, most people up here from our area aren't quite so nasty to people who have unusual names LOL. The following is part of this website and maybe you should read the rules of joining before writing such...well...you know...not nice comments. The sentence below is part of those rules. Thanks
"Please: NO profanity, NO personal attacks, NO racism or violence in posts."
I don't think the guy said he was innocent due to being Muslim. If I remember correctly, the letter he sent out to people up here read that he was "being targeted" unfairly because he was Muslim and that he knew who was behind all of it, so like I said earlier, I imagine it will all come out in court. My family, didn't even know he was a Muslim until his letter arrived in the mail and that came before we found it in the papers.
The photos you posted here resemble ones on a website for what "agent orange" did to the Vietnamese during the VietNam war, that was sprayed in the country by the US. Maybe you could post your site link?
You say "this guy prescribed treatments more dangerous to the patients" ??? I read that the charges said he didn't prescribe ENOUGH other treatments and just did the surgery instead. If there is to be a real debate or discussion about this, devoid of all the namecalling and racist remarks, then we need to have the correct information. As the case unfolds, the truths will come out either way. Either the charges are correct or they are bogus.
http://www.bangornews.com/editorialnews/article.cfm?ID=428162
Here ya go, this one gives the "treatment" protocols which they say he didn't do, before going ahead with the surgeries. In other words they wanted him to do "more" treatments before taking care of the final problems. Anyway we do look forward to finding out what the truth comes out to be, especially since this is our town and either way this needs to be resolved. If he is not guilty and didn't do what he is accused of, then we will all go on as usual. If he is then I would imagine deportation will be put into effect, but again I have no clue anymore how the govt does these things, so it remains to be seen and time will tell.
You called them "Mohammedan"??? Where did you read that? LOL The correct term would be Muslims.
People who worhip Christ are called Christians because they worship Jesus BUT Muslims do NOT worship a man, they worship only God. They don't believe in worship of a man so the correct term is "Muslim".
I think education should really be more of a priority in our country. It seems to be falling behind other countries in correct information and terminology and Maybe that is why all these problems between religions will never be solved, because some people just simply will not even attempt to become knowledgeable and as long as ethnocentricity contines to exist things just keep getting worse.
All these so-called religions yak yak yak about God and Peace but in every religion there are always some who take it to the extreme and ruin it for everyone else. To even pretend to say someone is Godly...but that same person promotes war or hatred is "opposite" and whoever does that is obviously phony.
Nice, and lame, try on the Vietnam/agent orange/evil U.S. angle.
I see you are a new arrival here. 8/25. Welcome to Free Republic.
The rules you cite to me are true and good. Problem for you is, I didn't violate them.
I called a muslim a....muslim. I want muslims-they're those folks involved in a recent spate of anti-American protests involving airplanes, buildings, anthrax, homicide bombings, and decapitations- expelled from America. See, they have declared themselves our (that means you too) enemies. They even behave like our enemies.
You consider it racist to first name our enemy and second, want to defeat them.
The word "racism" has become a cliche. "Racist" has come to be defined as anyone who is winning a debate with a liberal.
Do you call others "racist" often or do you save that only for those who oppose our enemy in the war we are in?
By the way, the war which came to us 9/11 is not a war with "terror". Terrorism is a tactic, not a foe.
Our enemy is islam. It's tactics of asymetrical war against us include terrorism.
We are in a war with islam. Don't be so quick to defend those sworn to annihilate you.
AC
Yeah, right. I'm causing terrorism because I call them Mohammedans. It is BECAUSE I am educated that I call them that.
They have been called Mohammedans for over 1600 years, and I will continue the tradition.
With your attitude, we'll be living under a system of Dhimmitude, which I'm sure means nothing to you.
Now, it's time to put on your Abayya and veil. Black only, please.
Oh yeah, by the way, O Educated One, it was Mohammed himself who made war against those who rejected his message, and Islam has been spread by the sword for its entire existence.
I think someone needs to educate themselves.
Yeah that explains everything. You won't be around here too long.
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