Darien Lawyer Admits To $620K Fraud: Prosecutors

DARIEN, IL – A Darien attorney who worked as a hospital executive pleaded guilty Monday to illegally pocketing more than $620,000 in hospital money, federal prosecutors said.

Robert Spadoni, 58, is the former vice president and chief operating officer at Rush Oak Park Hospital. Tax records show Spadoni lives in the 1800 block of Kelly Court in Darien.

Under the hospital's conflict of interest policy, employees and their family members are barred from having a financial interest in an organization doing or seeking to do business with the hospital.

Despite that, Spadoni caused the hospital to contract with Medical Education Solutions, a company that Spadoni established, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The contract was for Spadoni's company to provide administrative support and compliance services for the hospital's podiatry residency program.

Under its terms, the hospital agreed to pay $6,500 a month for the purported services that Spadoni knew his company would not provide, prosecutors said.

Instead, Spadoni paid $1,500 to one of his hospital employees to perform the services that his company was hired to do, prosecutors said. Spadoni concealed his interest in the company, according to the news release.

Spadoni was charged a year ago. The crimes occurred from December 2013 to July 2021, prosecutors said.

As part of a plea deal, Spadoni admitted that he used the money for his own benefit, including restaurant meals and hotel stays, and transferred $225,805 to his 401(k) account, prosecutors said.