It was a longshot, but a Tulare County, CA judge quashed a hail Mary move that would have dismissed the case against a trio of men accused of swindling taxpayer money from Tulare’s hospital, the Visalia Times Delta reports.
In his ruling, Judge Michael Sheltzer described the white-collar crime allegations as “extremely complex,” but in the end he sided with prosecutors who argued the charges are accurate.
The defense, representing HCCA CEO Dr. Yorai “Benny” Benzeevi, HCCA CFO Alan Germany, and HCCA attorney Bruce Greene, filed paperwork calling the prosecution vague and demanded more information or the charges dropped.
The judge, citing case law, said the charges “contained more information than is needed.” He added that prosecutors did not need to identify precise timeframes for the alleged crimes, patient files or exhibits used in a preliminary hearing.
Grand theft, conspiracy and embezzlement are among the charges against all three defendants. Read more.
