The former owner and CEO of Edgewater Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago, Peter Rogan, has pleaded guilty to a criminal perjury charge stemming from the hospital's financial collapse in 2002, according to the Chicago Tribune.
In court on Tuesday, Mr. Rogan pleaded guilty to one count of perjury for lying in a 2006 sworn affidavit when he claimed he had no control over a trust fund in the Bahamas, according to the report.
Mr. Rogan's guilty plea is part of a deal he reached with prosecutors. Under the deal, Mr. Rogan will receive a prison sentence of at least one year.
Edgewater Hospital closed its doors in December 2001 and filed for bankruptcy a year later. Around the same time of the hospital's financial collapse, four physicians, a vice president and the hospital's management company pleaded guilty to federal criminal healthcare fraud charges that involved the payment of kickbacks for patient referrals and medically unnecessary hospital admissions and services.
In 2011, Mr. Rogan was charged with one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice, one count of obstruction of justice and two counts of perjury. At that time, the government claimed Mr. Rogan engaged in fraudulent activity to thwart efforts by the government and a bank creditor to collect civil judgments totaling $188 million.
The government specifically alleged that from 2002 to 2010 Mr. Rogan conspired with his former attorney to impede collection efforts through the use of off-shore bank accounts. The government claimed Mr. Rogan's fraudulent action played a significant role in Edgewater's financial downfall.
To escape the charges brought against him, Mr. Rogan fled to Canada. Ending a four-year extradition fight, U.S. marshals in Canada took Mr. Rogan into custody in June.
Mr. Rogan's sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 14.
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