Michigan – An oncologist from Oakland County has been sentenced to federal prison after confessing that he was a key player in a plan that supplied expensive cancer drugs to the black market. Dr. Naveed Aslam, 52, of West Bloomfield, was sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to charges related to the illegal sale and diversion of prescription cancer medications. U.S. District Judge Brandy R. McMillion gave him the term and told him to give up more than $2.6 million in earnings he made from the operation.
Federal investigators say that the illegal activity happened between 2019 and 2023. During that time, Aslam was a licensed oncologist working at Somerset Hematology and Oncology, P.C., which gave him direct access to strong cancer drugs. Court filings say that he collaborated with people who helped him find purchasers who wanted medications that they couldn’t get through normal medical procedures. Then those people went to Aslam, who utilized his medical profession to obtain the medications legally and then secretly sold them to the buyers through a co-conspirator’s company.
Federal legislation only allows doctors to use these therapies on their own patients, and there are strict rules in place to make sure that cancer drugs stay in a safe supply chain. Prosecutors stressed that the medications Aslam stole, which were used to treat metastatic cervical, breast, bladder, and urinary tract cancers, are quite strong and need to be handled with care. Authorities highlighted that the illegal selling of these pharmaceuticals posed a high risk, even if no injuries to patients had been reported.
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According to investigators, Aslam bought and sold cancer drugs valued more than $17 million during the conspiracy. He got more than $2.6 million for himself.
The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Food and Drug Administration helped with the investigation.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan handled the case, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew J. Lievense and Jessica A. Nathan in charge of the criminal and forfeiture proceedings.