As of this publication Criminal Rick Scott is tied in the vote count with Bill Nelson. In a state full of lowlife scum this is not surprising. Florida is a toilet an crooks vote for crooks. Squeaky clean Bill Nelson is far too moral for Florida.
If you want more details on why Rick Scott is a criminal Google/Bing Columbia HCA Fraud.
While there are some good people in Florida, Florida is as corrupt as Texas and it should be washed into the ocean. Luckily that's happening.
Slick Rick Scott's Criminal Fraud
In 1993, lawsuits were filed by former employees regarding alleged improprieties in HCA's billing of Medicare which amounted to hundreds of millions of dollars. With federal investigations still underway, HCA was acquired by Columbia Healthcare; their growth and expansion continued under the company's founder Rick Scott. In 1997, amid growing evidence that HCA "had kept two sets of books, one to show the government and one with actual expenses listed" [4] Scott resigned, and became a venture capitalist. Thomas Frist, a co-founder of HCA and brother of US Senator Bill Frist, took Scott's place.[4]
In March 1997, investigators from the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Health and Human Services served search warrants at Columbia/HCA facilities in El Paso and on dozens of doctors with suspected ties to the company.[16] Following the raids, the Columbia/HCA board of directors forced Rick Scott to resign as chairman and CEO.[17] He was paid a settlement of $9.88 million and left with 10 million shares of stock worth over $350 million, mostly from his initial investment.[18][19] In 1999, Columbia/HCA changed its name back to HCA, Inc. HCA also admitted fraudulently billing Medicare and other health programs by inflating the seriousness of diagnoses and to giving doctors partnerships in company hospitals as a kickback for the doctors referring patients to HCA. They filed false cost reports, fraudulently billing Medicare for home health care workers, and paid kickbacks in the sale of home health agencies and to doctors to refer patients. In addition, they gave doctors "loans" that were never intended to be repaid as well as free rent, free office furniture, and free drugs from hospital pharmacies.[20][21]
After Scott stepped down, Frist Jr. returned as chairman and CEO. He called on longtime friend and colleague Jack O. Bovender, Jr., to help him turn the company around. Frist and Bovender, who became CEO in 2001, pulled off what Fortune magazine called a remarkable corporate rescue.[6] In settlements reached in 2000 and 2002, Columbia/HCA pleaded guilty to 14 felonies and admitted systematically overcharging the government by claiming marketing costs as reimbursable, striking illegal deals with home care agencies, and filing false data about use of hospital space.
In late 2002, HCA agreed to pay the U.S. government $631 million, plus interest, and pay $17.5 million to state Medicaid agencies, in addition to $250 million paid up to that point to resolve outstanding Medicare expense claims.[4] In all, civil lawsuits cost HCA more than $2 billion to settle.[5] The name subsequently reverted to "Hospital Corporation of America." HCA abandoned the use of its name in its home market and instead promotes its Nashville hospitals under the TriStar brand. The federal investigations, which spanned nearly a decade, drew to a close in 2003 with "the government receiving a total of over $2 billion in criminal fines and civil penalties for systematically defrauding federal health care programs."[5] The case has been referred to as the longest and costliest investigation for health-care fraud in U.S. history.[6]
In July 2005, U.S. Senator Bill Frist sold all of his HCA shares two weeks before disappointing earnings sent the stock on a 9-point plunge. Frist claimed that he sold his shares to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest if he ran for president. Other executives sold their stock at the same time. Shareholders sued HCA and alleged that the company made false claims about its profits to drive up the price, which then fell when the company reported disappointing financial results. Eleven of HCA's senior officers were sued for accounting fraud and insider trading.[22] HCA settled the lawsuit in August 2007, agreeing to pay $20 million to the shareholders.[23]
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