BATON ROUGE, La. (WVUE) – Disgraced former nursing home magnate Bob Dean Jr. and several companies he owned and operated have entered into an 820 consent decree to resolve a federal embezzlement case. The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Tuesday (October 8) that the company will pay $1,000,000. ).
The federal government alleged that Dean misappropriated and misappropriated the assets and income of four Louisiana nursing homes he owned and operated before and after Hurricane Ida made landfall in August 2021. Those nursing homes were Maison Orleans Healthcare in New Orleans and West Jefferson Healthcare Center in New Orleans. Harvey, Maison de Ville Nursing Home in Harvey, Maison de Ville Nursing Home in Houma.
Mr. Dean's housing operations came under intense scrutiny after the chaotic and deadly evacuation of elderly residents during the devastating Hurricane Ida. Dozens of residents were forced to weather the storm at an overcrowded and ill-equipped industrial warehouse in Independence that Dean owned through a corporation.
The government claimed that the Louisiana Department of Health evacuated the residents and revoked the Dean nursing home's license because nursing home residents lived in poor conditions and did not receive adequate care at the Dean shelter. .
In an interview with Fox 8 on the day residents were removed from the warehouse, Dean defended his decision to move residents into the building. He said the deaths experienced in nursing homes are not unusual.
“We only had five deaths in six days, and normally with 850 you would have a few deaths a day, so we did a really good job in terms of taking care of people,” Dean said. Ta.
The Justice Department further states that after the hurricane, Mr. Dean used the home's income and assets not only to operate and maintain the nursing home, but also to purchase personal goods and services, such as antiques, firearms, and cars. He claimed to have used it.
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Three months ago, Dean pleaded no contest in Tangipahoa Parish to 15 state felonies related to disorderly evacuations: eight counts of cruelty to the infirm, five counts of Medicaid fraud, and two counts of obstruction of justice. .
However, Dean was spared any prison time when District Judge Brian Abels sentenced him to a total of 20 years but deferred the sentence in favor of placing Dean on nine years of probation.
Attorney General Liz Murrill criticized the outcome of Dean's criminal case in a statement, saying, “I remain of the opinion that Dean should serve a prison term.”
The financial penalty handed down Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana resolves the government's lawsuit alleging that Dean violated the terms of an FHA loan made to the former facility. The National Housing Act of 1934 allows the United States to recover twice the assets and income of FHA-insured nursing homes that are improperly allocated or overdue.
In the five years leading up to Hurricane Ida, the United States spent money that was supposed to be used to prepare evacuation sites for nursing home residents in Mr. Dean's personal bank account. He claimed that he was left unprepared.
Brian M. Boynton, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice's Civil Affairs Bureau, said, “This settlement continues the Department's continued commitment to hold accountable those who put their financial interests ahead of the needs of our nation's seniors.'' It shows our commitment.” “We will continue to take action to protect the integrity of federal programs designed to ensure that nursing home residents, some of our most vulnerable citizens, receive the care they deserve.”
“As Louisiana residents know all too well, hurricanes and natural disasters can disrupt lives,” said Ronald C. Gase, Jr., United States Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana. “Nursing home operators like Mr. Dean have a duty to protect their residents in the event of such an event, especially if they rely on federal programs to support or sustain their operations. This settlement ensures that those entrusted with the care of our community's most vulnerable residents have appropriate safeguards and plans to avoid tragedies like the one we saw in Independence after Hurricane Ida. They will begin to take seriously their duty to stand up for themselves.”
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