Dr. Mirza Lawsuit: Fraud, Defamation, and License Revocation

The Dr. Mirza lawsuits are a cluster of related legal matters involving Dr. Muhammad A. Mirza, a New Jersey internist who ran a cosmetic injectables practice called Mirza Aesthetics. He sued roughly a dozen Yelp reviewers for defamation with mixed and ultimately limited success, had his New Jersey medical license permanently revoked in September 2024 after state regulators found his practice posed a grave risk to patients, and was sentenced in May 2024 to 26 months in federal prison for his role in a scheme to defraud Amtrak’s employee health plan.¹²

Who Dr. Mirza Is and What His Practice Looked Like

Mirza operated Mirza Aesthetics, a cosmetic medicine business that worked out of rental spaces across New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. The practice offered injectables such as Botox and dermal fillers. Negative Yelp reviews began to pile up, accusing him of using fake or diluted Botox, working out of duffel bags, and pressuring patients during appointments.³

The Defamation Suits He Filed Against Patients

Rather than ignore the reviews, Mirza sued the reviewers. ABC7 New York reported he filed suits against about a dozen of them and either won or settled with three for undisclosed sums; those settlements required the reviewers to take their posts down and barred them from speaking publicly about Mirza or his practice.³

Mirza v. Amar

In Mirza v. Amar, Case No. 20-cv-2699 in the Eastern District of New York, Mirza sought a default judgment against former patient Alia Salman Amar. Her review called his Botox “watered-down,” described his fillers as “fugazzi,” and accused him of violating COVID-19 safety rules. In January 2021, District Judge Brian Cogan denied the motion, ruling the review was protected opinion under New York law. The court treated terms like “fugazi,” “not a real doctor,” and even “sociopath” as hyperbole and rhetoric rather than factual claims a reasonable Yelp reader would take literally.⁴

Mirza v. John Does 1–9

A separate suit in the Southern District of New York, Dr. Muhammad Mirza and Allied Medical and Diagnostic Services, LLC v. John Does #1–9, Case No. 20-cv-9877, went after nine anonymous Yelp reviewers on claims of defamation per se, trade libel, and tortious interference. The challenged reviews accused Mirza of using counterfeit injectables, storing products in gym bags, operating in unsanitary conditions, and price gouging.⁵

On October 6, 2021, Magistrate Judge Sarah L. Cave granted Mirza expedited discovery to subpoena Yelp for the reviewers’ names, email addresses, IP addresses, and mailing addresses, finding he had made a prima facie showing of defamation. Yelp had placed a “Consumer Alert: Questionable Legal Threats” badge on Mirza’s business pages warning visitors the business “may have tried to abuse the legal system in an effort to stifle free speech.” The badge did not block the subpoena.⁶⁵

The case did not go further. Mirza filed a notice of voluntary dismissal on December 28, 2021, and the action was closed without prejudice and without costs against all nine defendants. The public record does not show whether Yelp ever produced the subpoenaed information or whether the reviewers were identified before dismissal.⁷

The State Investigation That Ended His License

In April 2021, while Mirza was still pursuing reviewers in court, the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs opened an investigation into Mirza Aesthetics after receiving numerous consumer complaints. The State filed a Verified Complaint and Order to Show Cause on September 30, 2021 seeking revocation of his license, and by October 13, 2021 Mirza had agreed to an interim consent order temporarily suspending his ability to practice in New Jersey and every other state where he was licensed.⁸

Investigators alleged Mirza performed invasive cosmetic procedures in makeshift settings, including storage closets, without medical examination tables or proper refrigeration for temperature-sensitive products. He allegedly transported supplies in duffel bags, failed to wear masks or gloves during procedures, used high-pressure sales tactics, and refused to show patients the packaging of products being injected into them.⁹

Among the most serious allegations was off-label use of dermal fillers for non-surgical penile enhancement. In one case, the procedure allegedly caused permanent harm to a patient who required hospitalization and two emergency surgeries, and Mirza reportedly did not accurately disclose to the treating emergency room physician which filler he had used. The state also cited his use of fillers near patients’ eyes, which can cause permanent blindness, and in patients’ breasts, which can interfere with mammogram results.¹

The matter was transferred to the Office of Administrative Law in February 2022 and then stayed in August 2022 while Mirza’s federal criminal case moved forward. After his guilty plea, the state filed an Amended Verified Complaint in May 2024 incorporating the conviction. On September 17, 2024, a Final Consent Order permanently revoked his medical license with prejudice. The terms bar him from ever seeking a New Jersey medical license again, from any patient contact, from issuing prescriptions, and from holding a financial interest in any medical practice in the state.¹⁰

The Federal Healthcare Fraud Case

A separate federal prosecution targeted a healthcare fraud conspiracy aimed at Amtrak’s employee health plan. The Department of Justice said the conspiracy ran from approximately April 2017 through June 2022. Mirza and other providers paid cash kickbacks to Amtrak employees for their insurance information and then billed the plan for services that were never provided or were medically unnecessary. Some claims were submitted under the National Provider Identifiers of nurse practitioners who did not know their credentials were being used, including on dates when those practitioners were not in the country.¹¹

The broader scheme was large. The Amtrak Office of Inspector General said at least 119 Amtrak employees participated and the scheme generated more than $16 million in fraudulent billings, of which the plan paid out over $12 million.¹²

Mirza pleaded guilty in April 2023 to one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud. On May 7, 2024, he was sentenced to 26 months in federal prison and two years of supervised release, ordered to pay $1,371,544 in restitution, and excluded from participating in federal healthcare programs for 25 years.²

Where Things Stand Now

Mirza’s New Jersey medical license is permanently revoked as of the September 17, 2024 Final Consent Order, with no path to reinstatement in the state. He is serving a federal sentence tied to the Amtrak conspiracy, owes more than $1.37 million in restitution, and is barred from federal healthcare programs for 25 years. The defamation suits he brought are closed, and the critical reviews that prompted them tracked closely with what state investigators later documented about the practice.¹

1
New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. State Board of Medical Examiners Revokes License of Tri-State Doctor
2
Amtrak OIG. Amtrak OIG Investigation Leads to Prison Time, $1.37 Million in Restitution
3
ABC7 New York. Manhattan Doctor Sues Over Yelp Reviews He Says Are False
4
vLex. Mirza v. Amar, 20-cv-2699
5
The Health Law Firm. Mirza v. John Does, 20 Civ. 9877 (PGG) (SLC) Opinion
6
Law360. Doc Can Subpoena Yelp User Info in Botox Defamation Suit
7
CourtListener. Mirza v. Doe 1 et al., 1:20-cv-09877
8
New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs. State Board of Medical Examiners Temporarily Suspends License of Aesthetic Medicine Doctor
9
Patch. NJ Yanks Doc’s License After Unsafe Penis, Breast Injections
10
NJ.com. State Yanks Medical License From Doc Accused of Causing Permanent Damage to Patient
11
U.S. Department of Justice. United States v. Mirza, Information
12
Amtrak OIG. Amtrak OIG Investigation Leads to Health Care Fraud Conspiracy Charges