Norfolk, Virginia - A former gynecologist will have to spend the next 59 years behind bars after he manipulated women into having "invasive" and "unnecessary" medical procedures – only so he could cash in on their insurance claims.

Between 2010 and 2019, Javaid Perwaiz defrauded insurance companies out of a total of $20.8 million.

He got rich by falsely informing patients that they irreversible procedures, such as hysterectomies and improper sterilizations.

According to a statement made by the Department of Justice on Tuesday, the former doctor even told some of the women they had cancer in order to persuade them to agree to the surgeries.

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Most of the procedures were performed within a few days of the misdiagnoses.

Perwaiz also falsified records for his obstetric patients in order to induce labor early and violated the required 30-day waiting period for elective sterilizations by submitting backdated forms, according to evidence obtained by the DOJ.

In November last year, Perwaiz was found guilty on 52 counts of healthcare fraud and other charges.

"Motivated by his insatiable and reprehensible greed, Perwaiz used an arsenal of horrifying tactics to manipulate and deceive patients into undergoing invasive, unnecessary, and devastating medical procedures," said Raj Parekh, Acting US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

"These fraudulent and destructive surgeries caused irreversible damage to the victims." He went on to say that Perwaiz shattered the ability of many of his former patients to have children of their own.

Parekh praised the women who spoke out about the heinous crimes for their "resilience, strength, and courage."

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"While no prosecution can undo the lifelong trauma that Perwaiz cruelly inflicted on his patients, today's sentence ensures that the victims and their families have the last word."