RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – A Virginia doctor accused of performing unnecessary surgical procedures on his patients has been ordered held without bail while he awaits trial.

Dr. Javaid Perwaiz was charged last week with health care fraud after authorities said he performed unneeded procedures on many of his patients, including hysterectomies and tubal ligations.

Magistrate Judge Robert Krask ordered Perwaiz held without bail Thursday after a prosecutor said 173 women have come forward since his arrest to describe similar experiences. The judge called the allegations “deeply disturbing.”

Perwaiz’s attorney said he has received a flood of unsolicited emails from patients praising and supporting the doctor.

The judge said that if the charges are proven, the doctor’s actions represent a “gross abuse of patient trust.”