Ex-hospital VP pleads guilty to bribery, kickbacks, theft

A former associate vice president at Beverly (Mass.) Hospital pleaded guilty yesterday to soliciting bribes and kickbacks from hospital contractors and stealing artwork from the hospital while it was under a multi-million dollar renovation, Salem News reported.

Paul Galzerano was sentenced to serve 18 months of a two-year jail term on four counts of larceny and two years of probation on two counts of commercial bribery, according to the article.

The former hospital VP was charged with commercial bribery and larceny back in 2010. According to the indictment, between 2003 and 2006, Galzerano used hospital contractors to pay nearly $500,000 in personal bills and home renovations, FierceHealthcare previously reported.

While overseeing the "biggest single construction project in the history of the hospital" Galzerano also stole artwork and antiques from the facility, such as a grandfather clock and two paintings, worth nearly $25,000, noted the Salem News.

Although the Massachusetts attorney general's office wanted Galzerano to serve four to five years in state prison, the judge said Galzerano was "penniless" and "has essentially been destroyed," the article noted.  The former hospital VP has lost the home he was using the kickbacks to renovate and now lives in shelter for homeless veterans.

To learn more:
- read the Salem News article
- check out the charges