Things aren’t looking good for infamous CEO of “health care terrorists”
Federal agents briefly detained infamous ex-hospital CEO Ralph de la Torre early last week and seized his phone, according to an investigative report from the Boston Globe.
De la Torre is the ultra-wealthy former CEO of the now-bankrupt hospital chain Steward, once the largest for-profit health care company in the country. Steward and de la Torre have been accused of being "health care terrorists" and practicing "third-world medicine" that killed and maimed patients as executives extracted millions in payouts, stripping the company of assets.
In September, de la Torre was held in criminal contempt of Congress for failing to abide by a congressional subpoena to attend a Senate hearing over the alleged corruption.
The execution of a search warrant last week is a clear sign that a sprawling federal corruption and fraud investigation against Steward and de la Torre is escalating. According to people close to the investigation who spoke with the Globe, federal prosecutors have a two-pronged probe, including investigating potential fraud and embezzlement in the US, and also potential violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which makes it unlawful to bribe foreign government officials to obtain or retain business.
In addition to the search warrant served to de la Torre last week, federal agents also visited and seized the phone of Armin Ernst, who leads Steward's international entity.
