Former MetroHealth Executive Indicted for Taking Bribes

CLEVELAND, OH - Edward Hills, the former Chief Operating Officer of MetroHealth Hospital System, has been arrested and indicted for his role in orchestrating kickbacks and accepting bribes. Hills is one of four men indicted for their roles in a conspiracy to defraud the hospital out of hundreds of thousands of dollars related to the dental program, law enforcement officials said.

Hills conspired with three MetroHealth dentists Sari Alqsous, 32, of Cleveland; Yazan B. Al-Madani, 32, of Westlake; and Tariq Sayegh, 38, of Cleveland. All four men have been arrested and indicted.

Hills worked in various capacities at MetroHealth, including as Chief Operating Officer and Director of MetroHealth Dental. He also served as interim President and Chief Executive Officer from December 2012 through July 2013.

“I hoped we had reached a point in Cuyahoga County where public employees taking cash bribes and using downtown apartments to entertain friends was a thing of the past,” U.S. Attorney Carole S. Rendon said. “We will remain vigilant in stamping out public corruption and these defendants will be held accountable for their crimes.”

Here's How They Did It:

According to the 33-count indictment unsealed today in U.S. District Court:

Hills, Alqsous and Al-Madani engaged in a Racketeer Influence and Corrupt Organization (RICO) conspiracy from 2008 through 2016 involving a series of elaborate bribery conspiracies, witness tampering and other crimes.

Hills accepted cash, checks, a $3,879 Louis Vuitton briefcase, a 55-inch television, airline flights, and the use of a downtown apartment. In return, Hills allowed Alqsous and Al-Madani to work at their private dental businesses during regular business hours while receiving a full-time salary from MetroHealth.

Hills, acting at the request of Alqsous and Al-Madani, provided MetroHealth dental residents to practice at those private clinics during regular business hours. Neither Alqsous nor Al-Madani paid wages or salaries to the resident dentists.

Alqsous, Al-Madani and others gave cash, checks and other things of value to Hills beginning in 2009. The indictment details text messages and meetings, often at expensive restaurants, which resulted in cash being deposited into Hills’ bank accounts.

Alqsous sent a text message to Al-Madani and another person in 2013 that read: “With 22nd of October approaching we ll be celebrating Dr hills bday earlier this year…1000 dollars each is the gift from the 3 sons their father.” Later that day, $3,000 was deposited into Hills’ bank account.

In 2012, Alqsous rented an apartment at the Perry Payne apartment building in downtown Cleveland. When he later bought a house, Hills instructed Alqsous to continue paying rent and other bills at the Perry Payne building, even though Alqsous would no longer be living there. Hills used the Perry Payne apartment to house an associate and for his own personal use in 2013 and 2014 while Alqsous, acting on Hills’ orders, continued to pay rent and other bills.

Hills instructed Alqsous to purchase furniture for the apartment for Hills’ personal use. Alqsous sent Hills a text in 2013 stating: “I bought your bedroom yesterday…there is mirrors everywhere…You will like it.”
Hills became interim President and CEO of the MetroHealth Hospital System in December 2012. Around that time, he told Alqsous, Al-Madani and others that he wanted a specific Louis Vuitton briefcase because his predecessor had a similar briefcase.

Alqsous texted a photo of the briefcase to Hills and wrote: “The guys are also very excited about their raise haha.” Hills responded with: “Thanks I’m so excited to have my bag to start my new job as #1.” Later that day, Alqsous, Al-Madani and others purchased the briefcase for $3,879 from Saks Fifth Avenue in Beachwood and later presented it to Hills.

As director of MetroHealth Dental, Hills was responsible for determining monthly bonuses for dentists who produced receipts in excess of their monthly salary and benefits. Dentists typically received a monthly bonus totaling 25 percent of the monies they generated for excess receipts.

Between 2010 and 2014, Hills regularly upwardly adjusted the bonuses of Alqsous, Al-Madani and others, by a total of approximately $92,829.

Additionally, Alqsous, Al-Madani and Sayegh solicited and accepted bribes from prospective candidates to the MetroHealth Dental residency program. Alqsous, Sayegh and Al-Madani gained at least $75,000 in bribes from resident dentist candidate between 2008 and 2014.

In a typical year, the MetroHealth Dental residency accepted four to six candidates for the residency program from a pool of 40 to 60 applicants. Alqsous, Sayegh and Al-Madani each had the authority to influence the selection of dental residents, and Hills had final authority over who was selected for the residency program.

Alqsous and Sayegh often identified and selected candidates who were from Jordan or trained at a Jordanian dental school, telling them they would have to pay a “donation” to MetroHealth to be considered. Alqsous and Sayegh directed the candidates to pay the “donation” directly to them, and in some cases, told the candidates a portion of the money would go to Hills.

In another conspiracy, Al-Madani and Alqsous paid bribes to Hills in exchange for him taking actions to refer Medicaid recipients to private dental clinics owned by Al-Madani and Alqsous instead of MetroHealth. All three took steps to conceal this activity by claiming kickback checks totaling $17,600 written to Hills were for “consultation fees” or “professional fees."

“These government-funded programs were designed to help the men, women, and children of Cuyahoga County, but these individuals defrauded them for their own personal gain and used their companies as personal piggy banks." said Kathy A. Enstrom, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office.

Hills, Alqsous and Al-Madani also conspired to obstruct justice, instructing people not to cooperate with law enforcement after becoming aware of the federal investigation in 2014. Hills also made false statements on tax returns, failing to claim approximately $165,751 in unreported income stemming from bribes, kickbacks and other things of value between 2011 and 2013.

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