The former president of a Houston hospital and three other employees have been convicted in a Medicare scheme to steal $158 million from the federal government.
The Houston Chronicle reported that Riverside Hospital ex-chief Earnest Gibson III faces up to 80 years in prison following Monday's conviction in federal court. His son was also found guilty in the scheme that prosecutors said billed the U.S. government for services that weren't provided.
Prosecutors said fraud in the hospital's psychiatric division lasted between 2005 and 2012. They said that taxpayers paid millions in hospital bills while patients watched television all day and some never even went to the hospital.
Gibson's attorney said his client was deceived by his employees and was unaware of any possible crimes.
