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| The home is owned by James G. Burkhart |
CARMEL, Ind. — A cadre of agents, including personnel from the FBI,
IRS and the Office of the Inspector General, raided the home of an
executive of a chain of nursing homes Tuesday morning.
The home is owned by James G. Burkhart, the CEO of American Senior Communities, according to Hamilton County property records.
"The FBI is conducting an investigation into criminal activity in the Carmel area," FBI spokeswoman Wendy Osborne told
The Indianapolis Star. She declined to provided any details.
An
FBI truck was parked in the front drive of the
red-brick, 9,000-square-foot house in the Claybridge at
Springmill subdivision of million-dollar homes. A Carmel Police
Department vehicle sat in front of the home.
Investigators from
multiple agencies, including the FBI, Office of the Inspector General
and the Internal Revenue Service, worked inside and outside of the
home, carrying papers and folders between the residence and the truck
late Tuesday morning.
The subdivision is full of sprawling,
stately homes, set far back from the residential streets. The
neighborhood was mostly quiet Tuesday, with a few walkers and joggers
occasionally passing and looking on curiously.
The Office of
Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
participated in Tuesday’s raid, but a spokeswoman said she could not
provide any details about the raid or what might have been seized. The
office investigates allegations or suspicions of fraud, waste and abuse
in federal health care programs like Medicare and Medicaid.
The
Southside Indianapolis headquarters of American Senior Communities was
open Tuesday, with FBI investigators at the facility, according to
WXIN-TV, Indianapolis.
A receptionist took down phone numbers, but declined to comment. No comment has come from American Senior Communities officials.
American
Senior Communities has nearly 100 facilities, with many located in
Central Indiana. The company's frequent television ads salute the
accomplishments of elderly nursing home residents.
Burkhart and
his wife, Angela, have been contributors to Republican and Democratic
candidates, according to campaign records. He is a member of the
Eskenazi Health Foundation Board and a trustee at Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School.
In
2010, American Senior Communities agreed to pay $376,432 in penalties
to settle a complaint that it employed seven workers who were ineligible
under federal rules for reasons including the loss of licenses and a
criminal conviction.
American Senior Communities operates a chain of nursing homes owned by Marion County Health and Hospital Corp.
Indiana
Health Care Association, which represents nursing homes in Indiana,
released a statement Tuesday, saying they were still gathering
information on the raid. "Right now, our most important priority is the
care of the Hoosiers in our 330 member centers across the state," the
statement read.
Full Article & Source:
FBI raids residence of nursing home CEO
