Secrets and lies of doctor whose $1 million retirement land was stolen from him by scammers
A doctor whose $1 million retirement plan was stolen from under his nose in Massachusetts is a serial thief and fraudster who has also been convicted of harassing patients.
Cardiologist Dr. Omar Jaraki, 67, made headlines this month after scammers managed to illegally sell a $1 million, 1.84-acre plot of land in Concord where Jaraki and his wife Halla planned to retire to go.
The unwitting buyers are about to complete a lavish home on the property, which they will likely lose.
But DailyMail.com can now reveal that Jaraki, from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, is a serial criminal himself, with some of his misdeeds just as brazen as the scam he and Halla fell victim to.
Health insurers may find it rich to hear Jaraki complain that he was ripped off when he lost his driver’s license in 2013 after overbilling them.
DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal that Dr Omar Jaraki, 67, a cardiologist in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, is a serial thief and fraudster who has also been convicted of harassing patients
Jakari and his wife Halla have themselves become embroiled in a series of scandals, with the doctor who is the victim of fraud defrauding his patients in one go.
The Jarakis are shown visiting their retirement complex in Boston, but Dr. Omar is likely to temper sympathy for the couple
The Syrian-born doctor also sold a patient a $250 “homeopathic remedy” that he created himself – and performed excessive tests on patients to increase his fees.
Jaraki’s suspension was also the result of much more serious misconduct, involving him inappropriately touching female patients.
He received a conviction for assault for that behaviour, while he was also found guilty of a series of shoplifting offences.
In June 2008, Jaraki was arrested by Conway police officers after about six female patients claimed the doctor touched them inappropriately.
These patients said that the doctor made sexually explicit comments to them during his treatment.
One of his victims, who went by Jane Doe in the lawsuit, revealed that during three separate clinical visits he asked her to remove her clothing from the waist down for an EKG.
During the third time, she wondered why it was necessary for her to be topless, but was rejected by the cheater.
Her bombshell lawsuit stated that Jaraki’s wife, Halla, knew about his activities but never intervened.
The photo shows the Jarakis’ retirement lot, with a house under construction
This is the building built on the plot of land owned by the Jarakis. It was sold behind their backs by con artists, but by the time the couple realized it, a buyer who thought he had purchased the land legitimately was building a house on it.
DailyMail.com has exposed Jaraki’s shameful past as he struggles to regain control of his retirement dream
Another photo of the new property whose unwitting ‘owners’ will either have to cut their losses – or pay the Jarakis the value of the land to stay there
She also told the court that he had falsified her medical reports and the couple refused to hand over the documents when she asked for them.
Jane Doe sought $100,000 in damages, which she was awarded by a jury. Another plaintiff further asked for $175,000 from the jury, which she also received.
Other plaintiffs had asked the jury to determine their damages awards.
Meanwhile, Jaraki was convicted of shoplifting three times – in 2006 and twice in 2010 – and had a penchant for stealing bizarre items.
Once, he stole a black rocking chair from a Cracker Barrel restaurant in North Myrtle Beach. Jaraki has already targeted the same restaurant twice.
Jaraki also stole a slew of gadgets worth $146 from a Home Depot store while purchasing $760 worth of goods from the retailer.
In a third shoplifting incident, Jaraki stole a home projector and the Harry Potter X-Box game from a Sam’s Club store by scanning bar stools and then placing the more expensive items in his bag.
Jaraki stole a series of chairs from a Cracker Barrell restaurant in Myrtle Beach
He was also caught stealing from a Home Depot, despite having enough cash to pay for his groceries
Jaraki was convicted of shoplifting and assault, but avoided jail time. Records show he was convicted of theft in New York in 1999, although details about that crime have not been shared.
The Board of Medical Examiners noted that his professional misconduct and convictions were sufficient reason for him to stop practicing.
Details about Jaraki’s past were reported by the Horry independent.
His shocking scams and crimes came to light weeks after he and Halla came forward to reveal a terrible fraud that happened to them.
Scammers managed to forge a series of IDs and documents proving that they were the rightful owners of the Jarakis’ retirement property.
This allowed them to sell the land – worth an estimated $1 million – for a price of $525,000 to an unwitting real estate agent named Max Geesey.
‘They stole our dream. They stole our property. They took out a mortgage on it. They are building a house on it,” Omar Jaraki said CBS.
The scammers, who have not yet been identified, used a fake driver’s license, passport and fake email address to dupe a local real estate agent and two other experienced real estate lawyers into letting them steal the land in 2023.
This is Jaraki’s old clinic in South Carolina. He was banned from practicing medicine in the state due to a range of misconduct and criminal offences
A passport used by the scammers that they claimed was that of Jaraki’s wife, even though the woman in the photo looks nothing like her
The same woman’s photo was used on a fake driver’s license to sell the property under the rightful noses of the owners
The Hallas only discovered what had happened to them when they received a tax bill for the house now being built on their lot.
The empty lot was reportedly advertised as ‘an amazing opportunity to build your dream home in the ultra-exclusive, sought-after and prestigious Mattison Farm neighborhood. One of the only remaining plots and located on a plot of 1.84 hectares. Proximity to Concord & Nashawtuc Country Club’.
Richard Vetstein, the couple’s lawyer noted: ‘As soon as I saw this deed, I knew it was a forgery. You can tell just by looking at it. Only the handwriting doesn’t look right. There were so many other red flags.
‘Quick half a million for a fake driver’s license and passport and sending a few emails. That’s a day’s work.’
Officials also noted that Halla’s fake South Carolina driver’s license “looked nothing like a real driver’s license” and strangely, her fake U.S. passport had the same photo as the driver’s license.
‘That is not possible because license plate photos are taken at the Motor Vehicle Department. The woman on the fake IDs looks nothing like Halla Jaraki.
‘This is a disaster. It is not only for us, but for other people as if it will happen to them,” the lawyer exclaimed.
The unlawful owners of the plot, who have not been named, now face the loss of their new home or have to pay an additional hefty sum to keep it.