In a further development regarding an article I posted October 9, Bertha Blanco, a former regulatory specialist with the Florida oversight agency for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and assisted living facilities (ALFs), filed a guilty plea October 13 on a charge that, as a public official, she corruptly solicited and received bribes directly or indirectly from operators of SNFs and ALFs.
Blanco has admitted selling to SNF and ALF operators information about complaints filed on behalf of patients/residents of SNFs and ALFs with the State of Florida’s SNF and ALF oversight agency. She also admitted that she sold schedules for unannounced facility inspections planned by the agency.
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She could face up to 10 years imprisonment at a sentencing hearing December 8, but as part of a plea agreement filed in Federal Court in Miami, the U.S. Department of Justice has agreed to recommend a sentence reduction based on Blanco’s acceptance of responsibility. The plea agreement states that the value of the information Banco sold was at least between $250,000 and $550,000, part of which went to middlemen. Blanco herself obtained $100,000 of the money, according to the plea agreement. Although she received only part of the money paid to middlemen, the plea agreement states Blanco is responsible by law for making restitution of $441,000.
My October 9 article and certain related court documents are available at https://wbeerman.com
