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.
A Modern Power Grid Can Deliver More Than Just Resiliency
In the wake of last month’s winter storm disaster, Texas has an opportunity to reinforce its position as a global energy leader by acting thoughtfully to guide the evolution of our electric grid. Parts of Texas’ grid were simply not built to withstand sustained freezing temperatures and significant frozen precipitation. Generation assets went offline at an alarming rate, leading to a shortfall in electric supply that forced tens of thousands of megawatts of customer load to be shed, leaving millions in the dark. This did not need to happen.
Steve Cox Resigns as EDTX U.S. Attorney, First Asst. Takes Over
Eastern District of Texas U.S. Attorney Steve Cox resigned today. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Ganjei, a career federal prosecutor, will be acting U.S. Attorney until the Biden administration appoints a replacement. Cox, in an exclusive interview with The Texas Lawbook, discusses his time in the EDTX and the huge impact he has had on corporate regulatory and enforcement reforms during his time at DOJ.
State Bar of Texas: 7 Judges, 19 Lawyers Cited
In its monthly report for January, the State Bar of Texas described disciplinary actions against 7 judges and 19 lawyers, including three disbarments, two resignations, nine suspensions and five public reprimands.
Exit Interview: Erin Nealy Cox
On the day she announced her resignation as U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Erin Nealy Cox sat for an exclusive interview with Mark Curriden and Bruce Tomaso of The Texas Lawbook. The interview touched on a broad variety of topics, from dealing with COVID-19 to the opioid crisis to her legacy after three years in office to the pipeline of white-collar fraud cases she initiated that, she says, will come to fruition in the next few years.
Erin Nealy Cox Steps Down: ‘I gave it all I could for as long as I could’
Calling it the “Job of a lifetime,” Erin Nealy Cox says in an interview with The Lawbook that the work she’s most proud of will not end when she leaves Jan. 8.
