Iyad Abu El Hawa had the same pissed off empty stare.
Posted on 10/29/2005 12:12:36 PM PDT by kinghorse
Man Charged In Fake Flu Shot Case Shots Contain Purified Water
POSTED: 4:56 pm CDT October 28, 2005 UPDATED: 5:15 pm CDT October 28, 2005
HOUSTON -- A man was charged Friday, accused of intentionally administering fake flu shots to hundreds of ExxonMobil employees, KPRC Local 2 reported.
Iyad Abu El Hawa, 35, is accused of attempting to defraud Medicare by giving fake flu vaccines, according to U.S. Attorney Chuck Rosenberg. Officials said El Hawa substituted a purified form of water for the vaccine.
Investigators said the bogus flu shots were given at an ExxonMobil health fair on Oct. 19 and 20 at the Baytown refinery. About 1,100 people received them.
According to court papers, El Hawa admitted to giving the fake shots to the ExxonMobil employees and also to 14 senior citizens at a La Porte nursing home last Friday.
He also told federal agents he had done it other times, as well, officials said.
"This is a callous and disturbing crime. Mr. El Hawa purposely put at risk many, many people. He put at risk those who thought they were being inoculated against the flu, but in fact, were not. He also put at risk those who received a fake vaccine and those for whom that provide care," Rosenberg said.
El Hawa is the owner of Comfort & Care Home Health, 10101 Harwin, and operates two other facilities -- America Home Health and Universal Home Health Care Services.
He was arrested and placed in federal custody Thursday night. If convicted, El Hawa faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. More charges could be filed, prosecutors said.
Officials said the case came to light when a nurse called the FBI after El Hawa's employees were unable to supply a lot number for the vaccine.
A nurse hired by the company to give the shots notified the FBI after noticing some irregularities, Rosenberg said.
The nurse, who was not identified, told authorities that she thought it odd that company employees did not know about lot numbers used to track vaccines. The nurse also became concerned when a Hawa employee said he had pricked his finger a few times while filling the syringes, and not to let the doctor at the health fair examine the syringes, according to the FBI.
The nurse kept two of the syringes and gave them to the FBI.
omg!
seriously though...
Sheesh! Not only don't they give his name, they imply his actions are related in some way to one Michelle Torgerson, who pled guilty to selling diluted flu shots to college students at $20 a pop. It also goes out of it's way to say the shots weren't harmful AND says there were "up to 1000" affected Exxon Mobile employees as opposed to the 1100 cited in this article.
Wasn't that one of Aum Shinrikyo's early efforts? Post Jones?
Medicaid fraud in Texas is not a little thing. He'll do time.
I don't doubt it. You know....Chief Moose must be PROUD of the lack of profiling in yet another case requiring FBI intervention.
More detail from FoxNews:
Up to 1600 Exxon Mobil employees are being urged to get tested for HIV and Hep C after getting bogus shots from fake health service employee.
Just now reporting. Wonder what they know?
I don't see anything on that page referring to a terrorist attack or attempted terrorist attack in Japan.
Maybe has to do with the reports of nurses sticking themselves on the needles.
Heard about this on the news a little while ago. 1600 or so shots. I couldn't help but notice the "innocuous" name of the perp.
This I found and posted on the Threat Matrix thread, last night.
I was looking for the fake flu shots given by a muslim man about the same time (2003) in California, Nevada and Washington state.
He also had a 'school for the medicine arts' or something close to that.
granny
~~~~~~
2003 report on a muslim man giving fake shots in Washington.
http://www.kingcountyjournal.com/sited/story/html/151575
Man gave unlicensed flu shots, state says
- Registered counselor was charging $45
for each shot
2003-12-17
by Jeff Switzer
Journal Reporter
BELLEVUE -- A man with no medical license who gave $45 flu shots
here is under
investigation by the state Department of Health and the Bellevue
Police Department,
officials said Tuesday.
Officials and at least one parent are wondering if the shots actually
contained vaccine.
Shahid Sheikh gave flu shots in an office space at 1611 116th Ave.
N.E., but on
Tuesday the doors were locked and phone disconnected.
``He's not licensed as a doctor, nurse or medical assistant,'' state
Department of
Health spokesman Donn Moyer said. ``This person is a registered
counselor and that
category of provider has no authority to give injections.''
Moyer said the department has opened an investigation into Sheikh, a
registered
counselor since June, and asking questions of Dr. Clarence Niles, a
registered doctor
and surgeon since 1984 who might be affiliated with Sheikh.
No comment
Neither Sheikh nor Niles could be reached for comment Tuesday.
Moyer said the state is also investigating whether Sheikh
misrepresented the vaccine.
``If a person doesn't have a license, it calls everything about that
service into
question,'' Moyer said.
The state asked local police to seize the vaccine or stop the injections.
Some of Sheikh's clients were referred by other doctors. A Woodinville
pediatrician
referred Lori Miller of Redmond to Sheikh for her daughter, Ashleigh,
age 12.
Miller said she became suspicious speaking to Sheikh on the phone
before Ashleigh's
Friday appointment. She was told to have $45 in cash, to knock on a
door and wait in a
conference room. The appointment went well, though.
``He seemed like a nice guy, and did a good job with Ashleigh,'' Miller
said. The family
saw a TV report about Sheikh and got nervous.
``My concern is she has not been immunized for the flu.
(continued at above link)
4,549 posted on 10/29/2005 12:37:15 AM PDT by
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