An American doctor bankrolled his “lavish” lifestyle by performing unnecessary chemotherapy and prescribing costly medication to potentially, thousands of patients, according to the US Justice Department.

Texas based Dr Jorge Zamora-Quezada, 61, flew on a six-seat Eclipse 500 business jet, bought with some of the $50 million (£37m) he was paid since 2000 for administering a host of treatments to countless patients.

On land he roared between various homes and properties in a blue 2017 Maserati Granturismo Coupe.

Investigators said that along with co-conspirators, he took part in a $240 million (£178m) healthcare fraud scheme and international money-laundering operation funded by excessive and unwarranted medical procedures - including treatment for children and the elderly.

The seven-count charge against Dr Zamora-Quezada could land him in prison for decades.

He remains in custody and a court date has been set for 2 July, Justice Department spokeswoman Nicole Navas Oxman said.

“His patients trusted him and presumed his integrity; in return he allegedly engaged in a scheme of false diagnoses and bogus courses of treatment ... with no regard for patient well-being,” CJ Porter, a special agent with the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General, said in a statement earlier this week.

Dr Zamora-Quezada owned medical practices across Texas, primarily practising rheumatology. But various shell organisations were built to obscure the flow of money stemming from excessive and fraudulent treatments, the indictment said.

​​It is unclear how many patients could be affected. The charge sheet names more than a dozen people but also notes the doctor hid thousands of medical records in a dilapidated barn.

ProPublica found that he saw more than 1,500 patients in 2015 alone and was paid $1,672 (£1,237) per patient - well above the $955 (£706) average in Texas.

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