Two former executives of a Springfield, Missouri-based charity pleaded guilty yesterday to their roles in a multimillion-dollar community corruption scheme that involved embezzlement and bribes compensated to multiple elected general public officials in the point out of Arkansas.
In accordance to courtroom paperwork, Bontiea Bernedette Goss, 63, and her husband, Tommy “Tom” Ray Goss, 66, ended up higher-amount executives at Most well-liked Family Health care Inc., a charity that supplied a wide variety of solutions to folks in Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Illinois, together with psychological and behavioral health and fitness therapy and counseling, substance abuse treatment and counseling, employment guidance, help to folks with developmental disabilities, and health-related expert services. In exchange for the bribes and kickbacks provided and paid by the Gosses and other co-conspirators, elected point out officials in Arkansas provided favorable legislative and formal motion for the charity, which include, but not restricted to, directing cash from the state’s Normal Advancement Fund (GIF).
Beneath the terms of their respective plea agreements, the Gosses will have to forfeit to the governing administration up to $4.3 million as determined by the courtroom at their sentencing.
Bontiea Goss pleaded responsible to conspiracy to pay back bribes and kickbacks to elected public officers in Arkansas. Tom Goss pleaded guilty to taking part in the conspiracy by embezzling cash from the charity, as nicely as by shelling out bribes and kickbacks to elected general public officials in Arkansas. Tom Goss also pleaded responsible to one rely of aiding and aiding in the preparing and presentation of a fake tax return. Bontiea Goss faces up to 5 many years in federal jail with no parole. Tom Goss faces up to 8 yrs in federal prison with no parole. A federal district courtroom choose will figure out any sentence soon after looking at the U.S. Sentencing Pointers and other statutory factors.
Before this calendar year, Desired Household Healthcare agreed to pay out far more than $8 million in forfeiture and restitution to the federal governing administration and the state of Arkansas less than the phrases of a non-prosecution settlement, which acknowledges the legal conduct of its former officers and staff.
A number of former executives from the charity, former customers of the Arkansas point out legislature, and other folks have pleaded responsible in federal courtroom as element of the very long-functioning, multi-jurisdiction, federal investigation including the adhering to:
- Previous Main Govt Officer, Marilyn Luann Nolan of Springfield, Missouri, pleaded guilty in November 2018 to her role in a conspiracy to embezzle and misapply the funds of a charitable firm that acquired federal money.
- Former Director of Operations and Executive Vice President Robin Raveendran, of Minimal Rock, Arkansas, pleaded responsible in June 2019 to conspiracy to dedicate bribery about courses obtaining federal money.
- Previous government and head of medical functions Keith Fraser Noble, of Rogersville, Missouri, pleaded guilty in September 2019 to concealment of a acknowledged felony.
- Former personnel and head of operations and lobbying in Arkansas, Milton Russell Cranford, aka Rusty, of Rogers, Arkansas, was sentenced to 7 years in federal prison with out parole just after pleading guilty to 1 count of federal application bribery.
- Political marketing consultant Donald Andrew Jones, aka D.A. Jones, of Willingboro, New Jersey, pleaded responsible in December 2017 to his role in a conspiracy from April 2011 to January 2017 to steal from an business that gets federal cash.
- Former Arkansas Point out Senator Jeremy Hutchinson, of Little Rock, Arkansas, pleaded guilty in June 2019 to conspiracy to dedicate federal application bribery.
- Previous Arkansas Point out Agent Eddie Wayne Cooper, of Melbourne, Arkansas, pleaded guilty in February 2018 to conspiracy to embezzle more than $4 million from Favored Household Health care.
- Former Arkansas Condition Senator and State Agent Henry “Hank” Wilkins IV pleaded guilty to conspiracy to dedicate federal plan bribery and devising a plan and artifice to defraud and deprive the citizens of the point out of Arkansas of their right to genuine services.
Senior Litigation Counsel Marco A. Palmieri and Demo Attorney Jacob Steiner of the Criminal Division’s General public Integrity Section Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall Eggert and Assistant U.S. Legal professional Shannon T. Kempf for the Western District of Missouri Assistant U.S. Lawyer Stephanie Mazzanti for the Eastern District of Arkansas and Assistant U.S. Legal professional Steven M. Mohlhenrich for the Western District of Arkansas are prosecuting the separate criminal instances.
IRS Felony Investigation, FBI, and the Workplaces of the Inspectors Basic from the Departments of Justice, Labor, and the Federal Deposit Insurance coverage Company (FDIC) investigated the cases.
This is a blended prosecution with the Legal Division’s General public Integrity Segment, the Western District of Missouri, the Jap District of Arkansas, and the Western District of Arkansas.