There seems to be a lot of activity at this federally-funded medical and dental clinic.
First, media reports suggested that the State Police were investigating “possible embezzlement involving staff members at the Muskegon Family Care facility in Muskegon Heights.”
The media reports single out former CEO Sheila Bridges and discuss a 2014 federal review that identified inappropriate spending on the part of Bridges, including first-class airfares, five-star hotels, and limousines.
The interim CEO of the clinic, citing financial difficulties, laid off about two thirds of the employees on February 14, 2020 and announced that it would shut down on March 13, 2020.
Some of the fired workers commenced a lawsuit on February 16, claiming that they received inadequate notice of termination.
On February 17, 2020, a news release indicated that the shut down would actually take place at the end of March 2020. (see https://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/2020/02/muskegon-family-care-health-clinic-announces-closure-apologizes-for-misunderstanding.html)
Next, on February 21, Sheila Bridges, the former CEO, filed a “whistleblower lawsuit” against the clinic, claiming claiming it had a “sexually hostile” working environment, and that she was fired after making a complaint against a member of the clinic’s board in November, 2019.
Her lawsuit also claims that officials at Muskegon Family Care made “false statements” to others that implied Bridges had embezzled from the health clinic. (see https://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/2020/03/former-ceo-files-whistleblower-lawsuit-against-muskegon-family-care-clinic.html for a discussion of the lawsuit).
On February 28, 2020, Dan Oglesby, the newly-appointed CEO of the clinic, announced that the planned closure would not be taking place and that the clinic is accepting new patients. (see https://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/2020/02/new-muskegon-health-clinic-ceo-makes-stunning-announcement-it-wont-close.html)
Stay tuned – we expect that there is more to follow.
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BAY CITY, MI — An Essexville woman police say stole prescription forms and used them to obtain controlled painkillers has accepted a plea offer. Heather M. Malone, 32, on Wednesday, March 1, appeared in Bay County Circuit Court and pleaded guilty to two counts of obtaining a prescription by fraud. The charge is a four-year felony. In exchange, the prosecution dismissed a charge of larceny in a building, also a four-year felony. Circuit Judge Harry P. Gill is to sentence Malone at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, April 17. Malone’s case dates to July 14, 2015. That day, a Bay County Sheriff’s deputy responded to a theft complaint placed by Dr. Raul Mosqueda, who has dental offices at 4181 Shrestha Driver in Bangor Township. Mosqueda said several prescription sheets had been stolen and he speculated Malone, a former employee who had quit a year and a half previously, was to blame, court records show. Mosqueda told the deputy that he recently needed some painting done in his offices. He ran into Malone and she offered to do that job. Malone and another man in mid-June visited the offices to perform the task, the dentist told the deputy. Though Mosqueda paid Malone $2,500, she never completed the task, he told the deputy. On July 7, Mosqueda began receiving calls from several pharmacies asking if he had written prescriptions for Malone. He told them he had not. Mosqueda provided the deputy with data recorded by the Michigan Automated Prescription System (or MAPS), showing multiple prescription requests in his name for Malone and others starting on June 18, court records show. Between June 18 and July 2, Malone used the prescription forms in attempts to obtain 130 tablets of hydrocodone for herself, with seven others attempting to acquire 460 such tablets at pharmacies in Bay and Saginaw counties, court records show. Hydrocodone is a semi-synthetic opioid. Brand names include Vicodin, Norco, and Lortab. By July 27, Malone was lodged in the Bay County Jail on an unrelated matter (specifically, an armed robbery allegation). The next day, the initial deputy and a detective interviewed her. During their conversation, Malone said she did steal the prescription sheets from Mosqueda’s desk. She and another man had used them to write numerous bogus prescriptions, though she said the pills obtained were used for personal use and never sold, court records show. “Heather stated that she and (the man) would go to the various pharmacies with the individuals and wait for them to come out with the prescriptions for controlled substances,” states a police report contained in court files. “When the individuals came out of the pharmacy they would divide the pills three ways.” Malone also claimed Mosqueda was aware of her addiction and had previously written her prescriptions for Vicodin. According to court records, between May 2014 and May 2015, Mosqueda had only written two prescriptions for Malone, one for tramadol and one for hydrocodone.
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PAW PAW, Mich (February 14, 2014) – A reported break-in at a dental office in Antwerp Township has led to an investigation involving drug fraud and stolen medication. The investigation started on Tuesday, after deputies were alerted to a reported break-in at a dental office in Paw Paw. Detectives discovered an employee at the office had stayed after work and had invited friends into the office. While the group was there, several items were stolen including credit cards, blank checks, shoes, a prescription pad and a doctor’s signature stamp. Deputies believe the suspects involved may have called in prescriptions to several Kalamazoo area pharmacies using the doctor’s identification numbers for the prescriptions. After they were called in, deputies say it appears friends went to the pharmacies to get those prescriptions filled. On Thursday, two suspects were charged in connection to the investigation. Kyle Hughes, 23, from Galesburg is lodged in the Van Buren County Jail on charges of Larceny in a Building.Emily Griffin, 24, also from Galesburg, is facing possession of methamphetamine charges in connection to this investigation. Deputies say the investigation into the prescription drug fraud continues, and more charges may be possible.
