A doctor in federal prison for chemotherapy fraud was among the recent recipients of clemency from President Biden, a stark contrast given the president’s longtime advocacy for cancer patients and survivors.
Meera Sachdeva, a Mississippi oncologist, was sentenced to two decades in prison after pleading guilty to chemotherapy fraud. She gave her patients only partial doses of their prescribed cancer treatment while billing them for the full amount.
Sachdeva pleaded guilty in 2012 to federal charges, which included defrauding health insurance providers and Medicare by submitting false claims on behalf of the patients she was treating. In addition to the prison time, she was ordered to pay nearly $8.2 million in restitution.
Biden’s clemency actions last week included sentence commutations of nearly 1,500 prisoners, including Sachdeva. Sachdeva’s case stands out in part from Biden’s history of advocacy on behalf of cancer patients.
In 2016, then-Vice President Biden launched the Cancer Moonshot, aimed at bringing together cancer researchers and accelerating scientific discovery in cancer research. The initiative was announced shortly after Biden’s son, Beau Biden, died from a rare form of brain cancer.
In a statement announcing the new clemency actions, Biden said America “was built on the promise of possibility and second chances.” He added that as president, he has the privilege of extending mercy to people who have demonstrated remorse and rehabilitation, restoring opportunity for Americans to participate in daily life and contribute to their communities.