The former chief operating officer of Rush Oak Park Hospital is accused in a federal indictment of stealing more than $600,000 from the medical facility.
Robert Spadoni, 58, set up a company that got a contract from the hospital for podiatry services, but the U.S. attorney’s office said no services were provided and Spadoni and a family member used most of the money “for their own personal benefit and the personal benefit of others.”
The scheme began around December of 2013 when Spadoni created a company called Medical Education Solutions, according to the indictment. It got a contract with Rush “to provide administrative support and compliance services to the hospital’s podiatry residency program,” the U.S. attorney’s office said.
In return, the company was paid $6,500 a month. But only $1,500 of that was actually used for services under the contract, the indictment alleges.
In addition to the fraud, the U.S. attorney’s office said Spadoni violated a hospital policy prohibiting employees and their relatives from having a financial interest in a company or organization seeking business with the hospital.
The indictment charges Spadoni with three counts of mail fraud and three counts of money laundering.
Rush released a statement saying Spadoni was removed “as soon as the misappropriation was identified.” It added that “a detailed forensic audit and internal investigation began to gather all relevant information to share with the appropriate authorities ... The new leadership team at Rush Oak Park Hospital has implemented a number of strategic initiatives intended to bolster the trusted relationships we all expect from our healthcare providers.”
