A former high-ranking hospital official in Illinois has admitted to lining his pockets with more than $620,000 of the hospital's money. Robert Spadoni, who served as the Vice President and COO of a hospital in the Land of Lincoln, pleaded guilty to a mail fraud charge in a Chicago federal court, acknowledging he engineered a fraudulent billing scheme that spanned eight years.
Acting on a persona of legitimacy, Spadoni approved payments to a company he created to hide his theft, according to details released in his plea agreement. From 2013 to 2021, he authorized the hospital's payment of invoices for supposed administrative support and compliance services to Medical Education Solutions, Inc., a shell company. To complete the deception, he opened a bank account for the firm in a relative's name and funneled hospital payments into it.
In the course of his scheme, Spadoni stealthily acquired approximately $622,500, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois stated. His misuse of funds also included cash payments of $1,500 a month to an unsuspecting hospital employee, who provided the services Spadoni claimed his bogus company was supplying.
Spadoni, 59, used the embezzled funds to finance his lavish tastes, covering expenses such as upscale restaurant meals and plush hotel stays. He also padded his retirement savings, transferring $225,805 into a 401(k) account. The former COO, hailing from Darien, Ill., now faces up to two decades behind bars. U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly has scheduled sentencing for April 30, 2024.
The plea has drawn attention from the upper echelons of law enforcement, with FBI officials and the Illinois Attorney General following the case closely. "Robert W. ‘Wes’ Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, and Kwame Raoul, Illinois Attorney General, convened to celebrate the announcement," the Justice Department highlighted in their release. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chester Choi is representing the government in the prosecution of the case.
