Ralph de la Torre, paid at least $250m by Steward Health Care amid facility issues and closures, ignored subpoena

Ralph de la Torre, paid at least $250m by Steward Health Care amid facility issues and closures, ignored subpoena

The US Senate has voted unanimously to hold the CEO of Steward Health Care in criminal contempt for failing to comply with a congressional subpoena – marking the first time in more than 50 years that the chamber has moved to hold someone in criminal contempt.

On Wednesday, the Senate voted to hold Ralph de la Torre in contempt of Congress after the 58-year-old head of the Massachusetts-based for-profit healthcare system – which declared bankruptcy earlier this year – ignored a congressional subpoena and failed to appear at a hearing over the hospital chain’s alleged abuse of finances on 12 September.

During Wednesday’s session, Bernie Sanders, Vermont senator and chair of the Senate’s health, education, labor and pensions (Help) committee, said: “The passage of this resolution by the full Senate will make clear that even though Dr de la Torre may be worth hundreds of millions of dollars, even though he may be able to buy fancy yachts and private jets and luxurious accommodations throughout the world, even though he may be able to afford some of the most expensive lawyers in America, no, Dr de la Torre is not above the law.

  • ccunning@lemmy.worldEnglish
    21·
    2 months ago

    “If you defy a congressional subpoena, you will be held accountable, no matter who you are or how well-connected you may be,” Sanders said.

    The article doesn’t really go into how he’s being held accountable. Finger wagging? Fines? Jail time?

    • Nougat@fedia.io
      15·
      2 months ago

      Under law, this certification [of criminal contempt of Congress] then requires the US attorney to “bring the matter before the grand jury for its action,” but the Justice Department will also makes [sic] its own determinations for prosecuting.

      Any individual who is found liable for contempt of Congress is then guilty of a crime that may result in a fine and between one and 12 months imprisonment. But this process is rarely invoked and rarely leads to jail time.

      https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/13/politics/criminal-contempt-of-congress/index.html

      Penalties for violations (a misdemeanor) include a fine of up to $100,000 and a jail term of one to 12 months, which requires prosecution by the Department of Justice (DOJ) or the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. This means a contempt citation may be a purely symbolic gesture if the DOJ or U.S. Attorney decides not to prosecute.

      https://www.findlaw.com/litigation/legal-system/contempt-of-congress-process-and-penalties.html