Trump commutes Esformes' 20-year sentence in massive Medicare fraud case in Miami

[Eugene]

Source: Miami Herald

Trump commutes Esformes’ 20-year sentence in massive Medicare fraud case in Miami

BY JAY WEAVER AND BEN WIEDER
DECEMBER 22, 2020 10:44 PM, UPDATED 1 HOUR 4 MINUTES AGO

Philip Esformes, a former Miami Beach healthcare mogul convicted of playing a central role in one of the nation’s biggest Medicare fraud cases and using his ill-gotten millions to pay bribes for favors, won a commutation of his 20-year sentence from President Donald Trump Tuesday night.

Esformes, convicted of paying bribes, money laundering and other charges, was also ordered to pay $44 million to the taxpayer-funded Medicare program and the U.S. government after a grueling 2019 trial prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami and Justice Department. Trump’s commutation did not overturn that restitution order.

A handful of former federal prosecutors in South Florida questioned Trump’s clemency decision.

“In a perfect world, a commutation would be the result of a thoughtful, apolitical process intended to offset a grave injustice,” said former federal prosecutor Ben Curtis, who has tried dozens of Medicare fraud cases in Miami and across the country. “Did that happen here? Seeing this decision today and knowing the history of healthcare fraud in South Florida, it’s tough not to become cynical about the justice system.”

At his sentencing in September 2019, U.S. District Judge Robert Scola called Esformes’ scheme to generate thousands of Medicare patients for his chain of assisted-living and nursing-home facilities in Miami-Dade “unmatched in our community, if not our country” and said he “violated [the system’s] trust in epic proportions.”

-snip-

Read more: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article248044835.html

[FeelingBlue]

1. Does anyone know why...???

What’s Esformes to Trump?! What’s behind this?! Does anyone know?? Thank you!!

[mr_lebowski]

2. He's rich, and from Florida?

Probably made large donations to the GOP or even Trump himself in the past is my best guess though.

Next best guess is he got word to Trump he'll make it worth Trump's while if he's pardoned.

Another distinct possibility is that he just loves dirtbag con-men and fraudsters, as long as they're rich and ripping off the government and/or regular folks. A man after the Talking Yam's black heart as it were.

And a total WAG here but he's an Orthodox Jew ... maybe buddies with the Kushner's?

[Eugene]

4. Friends in high places, including Ed Meese and Ken Starr.

From the White House:

Philip Esformes – Today, President Trump commuted the term of imprisonment of Philip Esformes, while leaving the remaining aspects of his sentence, including supervised release and restitution, intact. This commutation is supported by former Attorneys General Edwin Meese and Michael Mukasey, as well as former Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson. In addition, former Attorneys General Edwin Meese, John Ashcroft, and Alberto Gonzalez, as well as other notable legal figures such as Ken Starr, have filed in support of his appeal challenging his conviction on the basis of prosecutorial misconduct related to violating attorney-client privilege.

While in prison, Mr. Esformes, who is 52, has been devoted to prayer and repentance and is in declining health.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/statement-press-secretary-regarding-executive-grants-clemency-122220/

The Miami Herald says that he donated to Barack Obama and other Democrats,
but any problems in a white-collar prosecution would be very helpful the Grifter-in-Chief.

[dalton99a]

3. Professional courtesy among career criminals

[Karadeniz]

5. Remember, FL Senator Rick Scott owned a hospital group that had to pay something like $1.5

Billion, I think, in fines for corrupt Medicare practices. And this guy scammed Medicare in FL. Rick Scott isn't mentioned among those lobbying for clemency towards this guy.