OKLAHOMA CITY – A high-profile abortion doctor has been stripped of his license to practice medicine.
On Thursday, the state medical board made it official.
About 20 years ago, Naresh Patel defended himself before the board after he burned fetuses in a field near Shawnee.
Now, he’s a convicted felon and can never practice again in Oklahoma.
“Our main goal in this case was to ensure Dr. Patel no longer practices medicine in the state of Oklahoma and no longer ran any medical clinics in the state of Oklahoma,” said Deputy Attorney General Megan Tilly.
In 2014, state investigators went undercover at Patel’s clinic near N.W. 63rd and MacArthur.
The investigators weren’t pregnant, but Patel sold them abortion drugs anyway for about $600.
He entered an Alford plea to avoid trial.
“He’s not saying he is guilty, but the state has enough evidence that he believes he would be convicted by a jury if the evidence was presented to a jury,” Tilly said.
Patel avoided losing his license back in the early 1990s when he was under fire for burning aborted fetuses in a field near Shawnee.
Then, Patel was never disciplined by the state medical board or charged with a crime.
Now, he’s stripped of his license after prosecutors say he conspired with nurses in his office to carry out his scheme to make money at the risk of his patients’ health.
She told us she’s relieved Patel can no longer practice medicine.
In court documents, Patel admits to the judge he lied to his patients about their pregnancy in order to make money.
He served nine weekends in a state correctional facility.
His sentence also included restitution and a $20,000 fine.
