NJ Yanks Doc’s License After Unsafe Penis, Breast Injections: AG

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — New Jersey has yanked the license of an Essex County doctor who allegedly performed unsafe penis and breast injections on his patients, among other questionable behavior, prosecutors announced Tuesday.

The State Board of Medical Examiners permanently revoked the license of Muhammad A. Mirza, an internist whose primary office was located on Pompton Avenue in Cedar Grove.

According to the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, Mirza advertised and performed a variety of cosmetic enhancement services through his Mirza Aesthetics practice, which he operated primarily from rental spaces in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.

Traveling from office to office, carrying medical products in duffle bags, Mirza allegedly saw up to 30 patients daily in makeshift spaces, where he failed to observe proper protocols for medical recordkeeping, patient follow-ups and storage of medical supplies – including products that required refrigeration and strict temperature control, authorities said.

Prosecutors continued:

“The state alleged that Mirza grossly deviated from accepted standards of medicine with conduct that included the ‘off label’ use of certain dermal fillers to perform penile injections, which allegedly caused permanent physical harm to a patient; to inject near patients’ eyes, which, when done incorrectly, can lead to permanent blindness; and to inject filler into patients’ breasts, which can obfuscate patients’ mammogram results.”

In a final consent order filed with the board, Mirza agreed to the permanent revocation of his medical license to resolve the allegations against him.

State investigators began probing into the Mirza’s activities in April 2021 after it got “numerous” complaints about the doctor and his practice. According to prosecutors, complaints against Mirza included:

• The use of high-pressure sales tactics
• Failure to wear a mask or medical surgical gloves while performing procedures
• Declining to disclose what products he was using or show the product's packaging
• Causing physical complications like a lump and seizure
• Failing to respond to post-procedure complaints and/or requests for records
• Performing aesthetic procedures in an area described as a “small storage closet” and “closet area with a bench”

During an inspection of Mirza’s office in Summit, investigators allegedly found the following issues:

• The medical office consisted of one large room with a curtain used as a divider between the waiting room/receptionist area and the patient examination/treatment area
• The examination/treatment area had only chairs and a fold-away table, with no medical examination table
• Mirza’s supply of injectable fillers was stored in duffle bags, with no medical storage refrigerators observed on the premises

Mirza's behavior allegedly had ugly consequences for some patients, prosecutors said:

"In one instance, Mirza’s use of an injectable dermal filler in a nonsurgical penile enhancement procedure allegedly caused permanent harm to a patient who suffered complications that required his hospitalization, where he underwent two emergency surgical interventions. When consulted by an emergency room physician regarding his treatment of the patient, Mirza allegedly failed to accurately disclose the exact filler he injected into the patient’s penis, further complicating the patient’s post-procedure emergency care."

Mirza has not practiced medicine in New Jersey since his license was temporarily suspended in 2021, prosecutors noted. See Related: NJ Suspends License Of Doc Accused Of Unsafe Penis, Breast Enhancements

Mirza continues to be barred from all patient contact and from rendering medical care in this state, including dispensing or issuing prescriptions for medications of any type. He is prohibited from entering the premises of his medical practice during business hours when patients may be present and is precluded from charging, receiving, or sharing in any fee for professional services rendered by others.

Tuesday’s consent order also requires Mirza to divest himself from any current and future financial interest in or benefit derived from the practice of medicine in New Jersey, including the provision of healthcare activities taking place at his former New Jersey medical office(s), or anywhere else in the state. He is also precluded from managing, overseeing, supervising, or influencing the practice of medicine or provision of healthcare activities – including by testifying as an expert witness or serving as an expert consultant – in New Jersey.

“The revocation of this doctor’s medical license sends a clear message that we will not allow doctors to take advantage of patients’ desires to look and feel better about themselves by subjecting them to medically inappropriate procedures that expose them to the risk of grave harm and permanent disfigurement,” Attorney General Matthew Platkin said.

The road to Tuesday’s consent order was a long one, prosecutors said:

COMPLAINT – In a Verified Complaint and Order to Show Cause filed with the Board on September 30, 2021, the State sought to revoke Mirza’s license on the grounds that his actions evidenced fraud, deception, and dishonesty; gross negligence that endangered the life, health, welfare, and safety of a person; repeated acts of professional misconduct; and other violations of professional standards.

INTERIM ORDER – In an Interim Consent Order filed with the Board on October 13, 2021, Mirza, who denied the allegations against him, agreed to the temporary suspension of his license until his case was heard by an Administrative Law Judge (“ALJ”) and until further action of the Board. In February 2022, Mirza’s case was transferred to the Office of Administrative Law (“OAL”) for a hearing before an ALJ. At Mirza’s request, the matter was stayed in August 2022 pending the resolution of unrelated criminal charges filed against Mirza in federal court in June 2022. Those charges stemmed from Mirza’s alleged involvement in a multimillion-dollar health care fraud scheme to defraud Amtrak. See Related: Essex County Doc, In Trouble For Penis Injections, Admits Amtrak Fraud

AMENDED COMPLAINT – On May 29, 2024, the State filed an Amended Verified Complaint after Mirza pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. As part of this scheme, Mirza submitted fraudulent claims to health benefit plans for services not rendered or not medically necessary. As part of his guilty plea, Mirza was sentenced to 26 months imprisonment and owes restitution in the amount of $1,371,544.

Patients who believe that they have been treated by a licensed health care professional in an inappropriate manner can file an online complaint with the State Division of Consumer Affairs by visiting its website or by calling 1-800-242-5846 (toll free within New Jersey) or 973-504-6200.

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