Medicaid Worker Steals 1.5 MILLION Dollars!!

Arizona authorities have arrested a 63 year old man with 27 years of service for stealing $1.5 MILLION dollars from the state’s Medicaid program known as AHCCCS.  The embezzling all began back in 2006, apparently, when the state worker decided to help himself to some of the dough!  The worker was fired on August 18th and was arrested along with a compadre who apparently was not a state worker but was getting some of the action as well.

Radio station KJZZ 91.5 in Arizona is reporting that the state worker is Michael Veit and his apparent accomplice remains unidentified.  According to the report by KJZZ Veit oversaw purchasing for Arizona’s Medicaid program and is suspected of embezzlement and fraud to the tune of $1.5 million.  Arizona Governor Doug Ducey’s office announced the arrest yesterday.  The question, of course, is why did it take Ducey about a month to announce this but the BIGGER question is how was this state Medicaid worker able to allegedly embezzled $1.5 million over a period of almost 10 years without Arizona authorities knowing or at least suspecting?

The Governor’s office refused to give out details about the scam and how it all worked for the past almost 10 years.  However, the Governor’s office said they are taking the matter seriously and called the allegations “unacceptable, appalling, infuriating and have absolutely no place in state government.”  The Governor’s spokesperson said the case will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Governor Ducey’s office said that the investigation began when authorities noticed “potential procurement irregularities.”  And it only took them almost 10 years to take notice????  Veit’s job was as a  contracting and purchasing administrator who oversaw facility maintenance and office supply contracts.  The investigation included the agency’s Inspector General who just happens to be a former FBI agent.  The Governor’s office also said allegations like this are “extremely alarming” and the state’s Attorney General will “move swiftly in the prosecution of individuals who violate the public’s trust.”

So why did it take so long for the state to notice?  Embezzlement is often a difficult crime to detect for one thing especially if the person is embezzling using small amounts and covering their tracks by jiggling the numbers in his/her financial reports.  But, that said, I still find it alarming that it took Arizona almost 10 years to notice!

In my book people who steal from the poor ought to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law because they are low-lifes!  This is no small amount of money as it’s one and a half MILLION DOLLARS.  That’s money the state could have used to help the poor on Medicaid.  Many wonder why Arizona’s Medicaid program, AHCCCS, is about bankrupt most of the time.  Perhaps Governor Ducey needs to take a REALLY close look at some of the other employees who work in the program as I’m sure this is not the only case of someone stealing state money designated for the poor in Arizona.  And don’t think Arizona is alone as fraud by state workers involved in welfare programs is rather rampant I STRONGLY suspect!  Have you see the videos on YouTube of people going into state food stamp offices and state workers getting them to lie on their applications so they can get more food stamps?  And that’s across the nation btw.

When government is run by greed and riddled with corruption itself it is often difficult for it to uncover such matters.  I have no doubt in my mind that as a whole the government in this country is corrupt beyond belief and it’s motivated by greed and certainly NOT the welfare of the people as its chief concern.  Recall former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi telling reporters that it was not illegal for members of Congress to engage in certain activities with the stock market even though it is illegal for all the rest of us?  And then suddenly after she made that statement (EXPOSED THE DOUBLE SIDED JUSTICE SYSTEM) Congress passed a bill making it illegal for their members also.  They needed a special bill for themselves?  Yet, I’m still wondering why the laws Congress imposes on the rest of us seem NOT to apply to MEMBERS OF CONGRESS!  Equal justice under the law?  LOL BULLSHIT!

Contrary to popular misconception in this nation we DON’T have a Republic nor a Democracy. Instead what we seem to have is an IMPERIAL government in which the laws made for the common people and imposed upon them do NOT apply to the higher-ups in the IMPERIAL government.  But wait!  We’ll just elect someone come the 2016 elections and everything will be fine, right?  WRONG!  Sorry but I don’t hear any of the candidates talking about government corruption or the Wall Street bankers unbridled greed!  I don’t hear them calling for a nationwide massive investigation into government employees and imprisoning those who are STEALING taxpayer money left and right!  In fact, what I see is one candidate on the verge of being prosecuted herself named Hillary Clinton who apparently committed some highly questionable acts while serving as Secretary of State.  And if you think billionaire Donald Trump is going to solve the problem think again.  He’s a CORPORATIST and they are THE problem!!

Trump is appealing to the ultra-conservative jargon and acting like he’s on yet another reality television show.  Vote this man into the White House and you’ll be sorry.  He’s not going to solve what’s wrong with government but, in my opinion, he’s going to make it worse because he’s a Corporatist.  He’s part of the 1% of the 1% with most of the wealth.  And my biggest question about this man is WHY IS NO ONE CALLING HIM OUT ON HIS BULLSHIT RHETORIC?  He’s appealing to those other low-lifes in this nation who are beyond racists and who would love nothing more than to see the US become some sort of ultra-conservative radical Theocracy like we see in Iran! Trump is a showman as I’ve noted before and right now in his run for the WH he’s putting on his biggest show for your ENTERTAINMENT.  He wants to “solve” illegal immigration by building a wall from southern California to southern Texas and “make Mexico pay for it.”  Really?  How?  What’s Trump plan to do to make Mexico pay for such a thing? Invade Mexico City?  And btw walls are not simply built to keep people out as they also serve to KEEP PEOPLE IN!

I plan to keep this Arizona state worker in the limelight in our little alternative media home.  He needs to be kept in the limelight so the case against him is not nicely swept under that dirty old carpet that so many other cases have been swept under in the past, frequently.  Arizona does about everything possible to make it miserable not only for illegals from Mexico but also the poor.  Ducey’s office is on their soap box over this case but let us remember that this is the Governor who wants to limit Medicaid for the poor and make them pay into a healthcare savings account. Ducey obviously fails to comprehend that when you are poor every CENT counts!  The poor don’t make enough money to pay into such an account and limiting benefits?   Once that time limit expires just what are the poor suppose to do for healthcare?  Ducey is pushing the SOCIAL MYTH of the POOR.  I believe the governor has bought into the myth that the poor are fat, lazy, slobs just milking the system.  The man needs to wake up to the real FACTS about POVERTY and the POOR as the myths he believes are UNTRUE!

Sources:

http://kjzz.org/content/186282/ducey-ahcccs-worker-accused-defrauding-arizona-medicaid-program