Fraud pays in the Bush Admin

Ahhh, which is under Department of Health and Human Services, so he's still government employee.

http://www.ahrq.gov/

Well, I guess a crooks gotta work somewhere, right. And, he should still feel right at home.

Gee, I feel soooo much better knowing that he has been transferred to a position in which he can do no harm...

"Slips up and commits fraud." That almost sounds like it was an accident. Let's get real passive in voice and just say "Fraud has occured."

Well yeah, but he said he was sorry and promised not to do it again.

I should just offer his quote:

That's so sweet. How wonderful for a CRIMINAL to have such a great support system. Good thing he's not your average Joe kinda fraud guy.

How about this one... Fraud Visits White House

Special to washingtonopost.com
Tuesday, September 20, 2005; 12:24 PM



The Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal reached into the White House yesterday, picking off President Bush's top procurement official -- who just barely had time to resign before being arrested.

The federal charges against David Safavian stem from his tenure as chief of staff of the General Services Administration, predating his arrival at the White House a year ago. But his arrest nonetheless draws renewed attention to the ongoing corruption and influence-peddling inquiry swirling around Abramoff, a lobbyist well known for his connections to conservative Republicans in the White House and Congress.

And for a White House so desperate to build public confidence in its ability to respond to the Gulf Coast disaster, it doesn't exactly help that the man who up until Friday was overseeing contracting policy for the multi-billion dollar relief effort has now been charged with lying and obstructing a criminal investigation.

.. And, "His wife, Jennifer Safavian, is chief counsel for oversight and investigations on the House Government Reform Committee, which is responsible for overseeing government procurement and is, among other things, expected to conduct the Congressional investigation into missteps after Hurricane Katrina."

It's all about returning dignity and responsibility to the White House.

Sean R. Tunis
Noted With Interest
By Ceci Connolly
Washington Post
Tuesday, August 9, 2005

Two months after the Maryland Board of Physicians suspended his license for falsifying documents, Sean R. Tunis remains on the federal payroll as a high-ranking official at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

In late May, Tunis agreed to the one-year suspension and a $20,000 fine for submitting false records suggesting he had completed his required continuing education. Tunis, Medicare's chief medical officer and director of the Office of Clinical Standards and Quality, has been on paid administrative leave since April.

At the time, Bush administration officials said they did not plan to take any action until the Maryland board completed its investigation. CMS spokesman Gary Karr recently declined interview requests and refused to offer an explanation for why Tunis continues to be paid, saying it was a "personnel matter."

In a 15-page "charging document" filed in February, the state board accused Tunis of unprofessional conduct and making false statements about his credentials. Investigators said he falsely claimed to have completed 50 credit hours of continuing medical education and submitted altered records. Under Maryland law, physicians must complete continuing education to keep their licenses current. Often the requirements can be met by attending professional conferences, completing online courses or reviewing academic journal articles.

In a settlement agreement with the state board, Tunis attributed the falsifications to "careless record-keeping" but stressed that he had "never been the subject of any complaint related to patient care."

He added: "I decided to sign this Order because I acknowledge that I made a mistake and I wish to accept responsibility for it." The consent order also required Tunis to complete an ethics course and 35 hours of continuing medical education.

Tunis declined an interview request.

In addition to a government salary of $107,000 to $162,000 a year, Tunis has been receiving a bonus known as a physician comparability allowance, or PCA. A friend of Tunis authorized to speak anonymously on his behalf said the only requirement for receiving the allowance, estimated at $30,000 annually, is that the person be board-certified.

If a physician's license is suspended, however, the certification also would be suspended, said Cary Sennett at the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Investigators in the inspector general's office at the Department of Health and Human Services are also investigating the Tunis case.

Tunis, a graduate of Stanford University School of Medicine, was hired by the Medicare agency in 2000. In his dual posts, he held considerable sway over decisions about what therapies and medical devices would be covered by Medicare, a $333 billion program serving 42 million elderly and disabled people.