Criminal charges mount for Colonia doctor accused of sex crimes

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — A physician from Colonia, and the manager of his Perth Amboy medical office, are now charged with conspiracy to defraud a patient's insurance company, reportedly to conceal the doctor's other alleged crimes.

Dr. Gurvindra Sinh Johal, 56, affiliated with Amboy Urgent Care in Perth Amboy, and his office manager Rani Patel, 32, of Carteret, were slapped with new conspiracy charges on Friday, Dec. 15th, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Perth Amboy Police Chief Lawrence Cattano.

Johal, who is married and lives in Colonia, is charged with conspiracy to commit insurance fraud and hindering his own apprehension. Patel faces a new charge of conspiracy to commit insurance fraud. The allegations result from Middlesex County's ongoing in-depth investigation, the prosecutor said.

Johal is already charged with six counts of criminal sexual contact and one count of sexual assault. Some of those were lodged against Johal in Essex and Monmouth counties, where he treated patients at two other "doc-in-the box" walk-in urgent care offices.

Patel, his Perth Amboy office manager, is already charged in Middlesex County with obstruction; records tampering, record destruction, altering medical records, insurance fraud, and fabricating physical evidence; two counts of computer theft; two counts of hindering, and one count of witness tampering.

The Middlesex County prosecutor now alleges Johal and Patel conspired to send a fraudulent letter to one of his sex assault victim's healthcare insurers to prevent that company from substantiating wrongdoing allegations against Johal.**BULLSEYE

Patel allegedly submitted that fraudulent letter to the insurance company along with the victim's altered medical records, the prosecutor said.

Johal has treated patients, many of them women, at Amboy Urgent Care, 469 Cornell St., Perth Amboy; at Urgent Care of Freehold, 3681 US Highway 9, Freehold; and at CityMD Urgent Care, 617 Broad St., Newark.

Johal is now held at the Middlesex County Adult Correctional Center, awaiting a Superior Court arraignment, while Patel was released after her initial court appearance.**STANDARD

Detectives in Middlesex, Monmouth and Essex counties are still seeking other potential victims and witnesses related to this case. Here's how to confidentially contact investigators:

● In Middlesex County, call county Detective Lauren Leyva at (732) 745-4499 or Perth Amboy Detective Gina Betancourt at (732) 324-3819.

● In Monmouth County, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-671-4400, or text "MONMOUTH," with tips to 274637 or Crime Stoppers online.**BULLSEYE

● In Essex County, call the prosecutor's office tip line at 1-877-TIPS-4EC.