Memphis Gynecologist Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Sentenced to 20 Years for Medical Device Violations and Healthcare Fraud

A Memphis gynecologist has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison after a jury convicted him of medical device violations and health care fraud in a case involving more than 15,000 hysteroscopy-with-biopsy procedures performed on Medicare and Medicaid patients.

Chief U.S. District Judge Sheryl H. Lipman sentenced Dr. Sanjeev Kumar, 45, on July 8, 2026, to 240 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee.

A federal jury convicted Kumar in January 2026 on 40 counts, including 18 counts of adulteration of medical devices, 16 counts of misbranding medical devices, and six counts of health care fraud.

Kumar operated Poplar Avenue Clinic, a women’s health clinic in Memphis, Tennessee.

According to federal prosecutors, Kumar performed more than 15,000 hysteroscopy-with-biopsy procedures using adulterated medical devices on Medicare and Medicaid patients between September 2019 and April 2024.

A hysteroscopy allows a physician to examine the inside of the uterus. During a hysteroscopy with biopsy, a hysteroscope is passed through the vagina and cervix into the uterus. A sampling device, such as a grasper or pipelle, may then be used to collect tissue from the endometrial lining.

The procedure can help doctors investigate abnormal uterine bleeding and diagnose conditions affecting the uterine cavity, including endometrial cancer.

Federal authorities said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared both single-use and reusable devices for hysteroscopy-with-biopsy procedures. Single-use devices must be discarded after use, while reusable devices must be reprocessed according to the manufacturer’s instructions before being used again.

Evidence presented at trial showed that Kumar routinely failed to complete essential reprocessing steps for reusable medical devices between patients, according to the Justice Department.

Prosecutors also said he reused devices intended for single use and that the reused single-use devices were not properly labelled as reprocessed.

The Justice Department said Kumar purchased fewer than 200 new hysteroscopes during the period in which he performed thousands of hysteroscopy-with-biopsy procedures.

Trial evidence also focused on six single-use graspers of a particular type that Kumar purchased in 2019. According to federal prosecutors, three of those six graspers were still being used at the clinic in April 2024.

Federal authorities said thousands of women underwent procedures involving what prosecutors described as “dirty devices.”

The case also involved extensive billing to government health programmes.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Kumar billed more than $41 million for hysteroscopy-with-biopsy procedures between September 2019 and April 2024.

Federal authorities said he received more than $4.8 million from Medicare and Medicaid alone for the procedures. The government noted that this figure did not include payments for hysteroscopy-with-biopsy procedures involving patients covered by private health insurance.

The Justice Department said Kumar submitted, or caused his employees to submit, fraudulent claims to Medicare and Medicaid for hysteroscopy-with-biopsy procedures that were not medically necessary and were performed using adulterated devices.

Kumar’s conviction followed a three-and-a-half-week federal trial and five days of jury deliberations.

The jury found him guilty of 40 counts in January 2026: 18 counts of adulterating medical devices, 16 counts of misbranding medical devices, and six counts of health care fraud.

Federal officials described the case as both a health care fraud prosecution and a serious patient-safety matter.

U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said Kumar used his medical licence against women seeking care during highly personal procedures and acted out of greed while disregarding medical risks. He said the sentence was intended to hold Kumar accountable and deter similar conduct.

He said the case involved women undergoing highly personal medical procedures, while officials from the FDA, HHS-OIG, FBI, and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation stressed patient safety, accountability, and the breach of trust involved in the case.

Although Kumar has now received a 20-year prison sentence, the financial consequences of the case have not yet been fully resolved.

A separate hearing to determine restitution is scheduled for October 2, 2026, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Reference:

1. U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Tennessee. “Memphis Gynecologist Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Adulterating Medical Devices and Health Care Fraud.” July 8, 2026. https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdtn/pr/memphis-gynecologist-sentenced-20-years-prison-adulterating-medical-devices-and-health