Hospital exec heads to prison for bribery

The case of the hospital executive bribing state officials comes to a close, as former health MediSys Health Network CEO David Rosen yesterday got a three-year sentence for bribery.

Rosen for nearly a decade schemed to bribe New York State Senator Carl Kruger, New York State Assemblyman William Boyland, Jr., and former New York State Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio in exchange for favors for the New York health system, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

In September 2011, he was found guilty on multiple counts of bribery of hundreds of thousands of dollars, in which the presiding judge, Jed S. Rakoff of Federal District Court, said in his opinion in September, that the tragic case revealed "how a widely admired hospital administrator who diligently sought to better the healthcare of impoverished communities nonetheless chose to entangle himself in the bribing of state legislators," according to The New York Times.

In court, prosecutor Glen G. McGorty said Rosen had violated "his responsibility to his hospital and to his employees, and he corrupted the process."

During in his statement to the court, Rosen asked the judge to take into account his four decades of commitment to people who could not "advocate for themselves." Rosen's lawyer also recommended community service for Rosen to "do some good" for the community.

Rosen's three-year sentence is less than the recommended 10 years, the NYT noted.

"David Rosen cast a wide, corrupt net in his efforts to enrich himself and his company," U.S. Attorney Prett Bharara said in the statement. "Today's sentencing brings to conclusion this case, which involved hundreds of thousands of dollars of illegal payoffs, sham contracts and shell companies. We will continue to aggressively pursue those who infect the political process and bring them to justice."

For more information:
- here's the DoJ announcement
- see the NYT article

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