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Bruce Tomaso

Forest Park Fraud Prosecutor: ‘It Comes Down to Greed and Arrogance’

Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Wirmani has never spoken publicly about the unprecedented federal criminal charges he brought against 21 Forest Park Medical Center officials, including nine surgeons and doctors.

Until now.

In an exclusive in-depth interview with Texas Lawbook reporter Bruce Tomaso, Wirmani discusses the tips that launched the investigation, the innovative legal strategy he and his team employed, and how the Forest Park prosecution success is being replicated in other jurisdictions.

Kirkland and Weil Litigate Through a Classic Case of Afflictio Duplex

For a year, Bankruptcy Court in Houston has been the setting for A Tale of Two Calamities. A raging disease and a crippled economy tugged the court in two directions. Wave after wave of businesses sought haven from creditors. Covid-19 rendered the court uninhabitable, but also made it indispensable. A flood of cases and no courtrooms in which to try them. Along came two trial lawyers from the two most competitive law firms in the corporate bankruptcy space. This is their story.

Final Sentencing in Forest Park Fraud Case

The sentencing of 14 defendants convicted in the Forest Park Medical Center bribery scam have finally been sentenced to a combined 74+ years in federal prison. The last to be sentenced was Alan Beauchamp, the architect, builder and marketer of the fraud. The Lawbook’s Bruce Tomaso was there for the end of a three day marathon of reckoning in one of the most substantial and prominent medical frauds in Dallas history.

Four More Doctors Get Prison Time as FPMC Sentencing Continues

“Crime does not pay, even when millions are involved.”

With those words, U.S. District Judge Jack Zouhary sentenced Douglas Won, once a wealthy, preeminent spinal surgeon, to five years in federal prison for his role in a massive bribery and kickback scheme involving Forest Park Medical Center, a now-defunct physician-owned hospital in North Dallas. The judge also sent Won’s onetime business partner, surgeon Michael Rimlawi, to prison.

Federal Judge to Forest Park Medical Defendants: Change Scrubs to Stripes

A federal judge Wednesday sentenced Mac Burt, a founder and top administrator of Forest Park Medical Center, and surgeon Shawn Henry to several years in prison and ordered them to pay millions of dollars in restitution for their role in a $40 million fraud and kickback scheme. A nurse was hit with a three year prison term. Four more doctors will be sentenced Thursday. The Texas Lawbook’s Bruce Tomaso was in federal court in Dallas all day and has an in-depth report.

Forest Park Surgeons, Executives Face Prison Time Today

Six surgeons, a chiropractor and five hospital administrators from the now defunct Forest Park Medical Center fraud case – including seven who were found guilty at a lengthy trial nearly two years ago – are back in federal court today to learn how much time they could spend in prison. The Forest Park case exposed a vast bribery and kickback conspiracy involving prominent Texas surgeons and a luxurious physician-owned hospital. The Texas Lawbook is in the courtroom and will provide updates.

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