MN GOP Chair Ron Carey is being investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s office. Per the Star Tribune:
Minnesota’s largest autism center may have overbilled the state more than
$3 million for medical assistance, according to a report by the Minnesota attorney general’s office. The center was chaired at the time by Ron Carey, who is now chairman of the state Republican Party.The Star Tribune has learned that the matter was turned over last summer to the U.S. attorney’s office for investigation.
Bad timing for Carey. Wonder if it breathes new life into “GOP Joe’s” candidacy (yes please!).
But seriously, this is bad business.
The allegedly improper payments included the time board member Kathryn Marshall — who had a child in the program — brought a therapist along on a
one-week family vacation to Disney World and billed medical assistance for $2,896 .The most serious problems were more systemic, the report said. The program billed 1.25 hours for each hour of direct training in individual and family skills — overbillings that amounted to more than $600,000.
Sounds like a pretty good deal to me. Getting paid for 10 hours on an 8 hour work day? I’m a government employee and WE don’t even do that!
And let there be no mistake, this scandal is right in Carey’s lap.
The report doesn’t single out anyone for blame over the allegedly improper billings. But in describing what led to the investigation, it recalls that some staff members at the Minnesota Autism Center had accused Carey and Marshall of manipulating the program in violation of state law to benefit their children, who were among those being treated. Two other board members sued Carey and Marshall, who denied any improprieties.
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A veteran canidate calling himself GOP-Joe who rides around in an army vehicle called “Joe’s Jeep”?
This guy would get my vote for moxy alone. Besides his political stance, he would probably help the MNGOP quite a bit by cutting his own salary in half, starting his own blog (!) and starting a Camp Wellstone copy: “Camp Reagan”.
GOP lurkers? Does this guy have a chance? I certainly hope so.
If Carey has cheated the Government, he should pay the price. I expect the GOP to react with the kind of professionalism that we expect from members of our party.
That being said, I’d be real careful about making “honest days work for an honest dollar” comparisons between government workers and anyone else if I were you.
Hey,
I thought Palouse was corrupting the U.S. Attorney’s Office. How can this be if they are investigating the chairman of the Republican Party?
When this story first broke in the Strib last year, Mr. Carey was asked if he saw any contradiction between calling for lower taxes, less government spending, and getting thousands of dollars in taxpayer funded services for his family. As I recall, he just shrugged the question off. I don’t think he is ever going to be able to list “leading by example” as one of his personal strengths.
Chris — Let’s wait to see what, if anything, happens as a result of the investigation. Remember, the U.S. Attorney got this from the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office.