Chicago Dermatologist Omeed Memar Convicted of Billing Cosmetic Light Treatments as Pre-Cancer Care

Case from 2015–2018 (U.S. Attorney's Office release: June 18, 2015; later developments are from court records and other sources cited below). Published on Scammers.com Oct. 16, 2026; case status is current as of that date.

Dr. Omeed Memar, a Chicago dermatologist, was indicted in June 2015 on 16 counts accusing him of billing insurers for cosmetic light treatments by falsely calling them the destruction of pre-cancerous lesions. His case was one of four the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois announced as part of that month's national Medicare Fraud Strike Force takedown [1].

Outcome: A jury convicted Memar in May 2017 on eight counts of health care fraud and eight counts of false statements [2]. He was sentenced in September 2017 to three years of probation with 25 hours a week of unpaid community service, $150,000 in restitution and a $75,000 fine, Loop North News reported [3]. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit upheld his convictions on Oct. 17, 2018 [2].

How the scheme worked

According to the 2015 indictment as summarized by prosecutors, and the trial record described by the Seventh Circuit [1] [2]:

1. False diagnosis: Between 2007 and January 2013, Memar diagnosed patients with actinic keratosis, a precancerous skin condition, when they didn't have it, the indictment alleged.
2. Cosmetic treatment: He had staff give intense pulsed light (IPL) treatments, typically a cosmetic procedure.
3. Billing code: Staff were told to document each session as the destruction of 15 or more precancerous lesions. Memar billed insurers under code 17004 for that procedure, and insurers paid because the paperwork said the treatment was medically necessary.

At trial, the eight patients named in the indictment, mostly in their 20s and 30s, testified; many said Memar never told them they had a precancerous condition. A government expert testified that actinic keratosis is uncommon under 40 and that IPL alone does not treat it, the appeals court said.

Memar maintained his diagnoses were correct. His lawyer told the court the billing was "an ill-conceived way" to help patients afford treatment, Loop North News reported [3].

The person convicted

Dr. Omeed Memar, 46 when indicted, Chicago

• Court: U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, No. 15 CR 345, before U.S. District Judge Harry D. Leinenweber.
• Verdict (May 2017): guilty on all 16 counts after a seven-day trial.
• Sentence (September 2017): three years of probation with community service, $150,000 restitution, $75,000 fine, $1,600 special assessment [3].
• Appeal: convictions affirmed, United States v. Memar, No. 17-3098 (7th Cir. Oct. 17, 2018) [2].

Red flags

• Insurance paperwork for "lesion destruction" after what you thought was a cosmetic facial or photofacial.
• Being told a cosmetic procedure is "covered" without a doctor explaining a diagnosis.

What to do if you're targeted

1. Read your Explanation of Benefits and question any diagnosis you weren't told about.
2. Report suspected billing fraud to your insurer's fraud unit, or for Medicare to HHS-OIG at oig.hhs.gov/fraud/report-fraud.

Case status (as of Oct. 16, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status as of Oct. 16, 2026	Source
Dr. Omeed Memar, Chicago	N.D. Ill. (Judge Leinenweber); 7th Cir. No. 17-3098	Convicted at trial May 2017 on 16 counts; sentenced Sept. 2017 to 3 years' probation, $150,000 restitution, $75,000 fine; affirmed Oct. 17, 2018	[2], [3]

Sources

1. U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois, "12 Charged In Chicago As Part Of Largest National Medicare Fraud Takedown In History," June 18, 2015. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr/12-charged-chicago-part-largest-national-medicare-fraud-takedown-history
2. U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, United States v. Omeed Memar, No. 17-3098, Oct. 17, 2018. https://storage.courtlistener.com/pdf/2018/10/17/united_states_v._omeed_memar.pdf
3. Loop North News, "Loop dermatologist sentenced to community service for insurance scheme," Sept. 28, 2017. https://www.loopnorth.com/news/derma0928.htm

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