WASHINGTON, DC: Indian American physician Dipak Desai was sentenced to life in prison for his involvement in an outbreak of Heptatis C in Las Vegas.

Desai was charged with 27 criminal charges, including second-degree murder, theft, and patient negligence, among others. He was found guilty this past July, and last week, he was sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 18 years. His lawyer said that Desai expressed remorse for his actions, but for the court, it was too little too late.

“[There is] no worse betrayal of trust in society than what Desai did to his patients,” said Clark County District Judge Valerie Adair while handing down Desai’s sentence.

In 2007, an unexpected outbreak of Hepatitis C prompted the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Southern Nevada Health District to launch an investigation into where the disease was stemming from. By tracing the medical histories of patients with the affliction, investigators were able to determine that the outbreak originated from Desai’s clinics.

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