If the Walls Could Talk Podcast™ – Episode 6: “Day of Reckoning” 

Hundreds of Edgewater Hospital employees showed up to work and found themselves without jobs when the hospital abruptly closed in December 2001. Episode 6: “Day of Reckoning” traces the legal repercussions for those involved in the fraud scheme. A handful of doctors entered guilty pleas including:

• Dr. Andrew Cubria admitted to performing unnecessary angioplasties and catheterizations on more than 750 patients. Two patients also died under the care of Edgewater’s Cardiologist. Albert Okaro, 42, was one of those who died after an unnecessary procedure in 2000. Dr. Cubria settled his case with the Okaro Estate for just over $9 million. Cubria was sentenced to 151 months in prison and ordered to pay $14.3 million in restitution.
• Dr. Seshagiri Rao Vavilikolanu (Dr. Rao) admitted to unnecessarily hospitalizing 900 patients. Edgewater’s Anesthesiologist was sentenced to 35 months in prison and had to pay over $5 million in restitution.
• Dr. Kumar Kaliana admitted to receiving kickbacks in return for admitting patients to Edgewater. He was sentenced to 16 months in prison and ordered to pay $1.15 million in restitution.
• Dr. Ravi Barnabas admitted to funneling kickback payments to Drs. Rao and Kumar in exchange for admitting patients to Edgewater. He was sentenced to 52 months in prison and ordered to pay $100,000 in restitution. Almost as shocking is what Dr. Barnabas is doing today.
• Roger Ehmen, Edgewater’s Vice President, admitted to paying kickbacks to recruit and hospitalize patients unnecessarily. Of all those charged in the scheme, Roger was the longest-tenured employee at the hospital (~24 years). The judge didn’t go easy on Roger. He was sentenced to 78 months in prison and had to pay restitution of $5 million.
• Braddock Management and Bainbridge Management (the hospital’s management companies from 1995-2001) admitted to making kickback payments of more than $1.2 million. They were ordered to pay restitution of $2.9 million. The companies were largely owned and operated by Peter Rogan.

Peter Rogan was the hospital’s former owner, but he somehow walked away a free man. In 2004, the feds dropped their criminal case against him. Instead, the United States and Dexia Bank sued Rogan in civil court. It took years for the government’s trial to make it to the courtroom — but not before one potential witness was found dead.

When the United States vs. Peter Rogan finally went to trial in 2006, tens of millions of Rogan’s dollars were at stake. 

Follow the civil trial of Peter Rogan in Episode 6: “Day of Reckoning”. Peter’s lawyer describes his defense strategy and shares why he thought he could win the case. At one point during the trial, he remembers how the judge pulled him aside to warn him about Peter’s testimony. Hear what was discussed and why it still resonates with him.

Since both of the government’s star witnesses — Roger Ehmen and Dr. Andrew Cubria — were incarcerated during the trial, it was up to Peter Rogan to appear more credible.

Roger Ehmen shares what happened during his three days of testimony on the stand and what words Peter muttered to him during a court recess.

It would be nearly five months before a decision would be handed down. And then, something completely unexpected happened that caused headaches for prosecutors, Dexia Bank and lawyers. 

Hear the full story in Episode 6: “Day of Reckoning” of If the Walls Could Talk Podcast™. 

If the Walls Could Talk Podcast™

Support If the Walls Could Talk Podcast™ on PATREON and unlock bonus interviews and behind-the-scenes stories — including this week’s “Second Opinion” episode.

Attorney Wes Johnson joins us on Patreon to share more about what was it like to work inside the abandoned Edgewater Hospital. Hear from a handful of employees who describe why it felt “like a police state”. Another shares how someone sabotaged Edgewater Hospital’s phone lines and how she still managed to work in a shuttered hospital without a telephone.

In our “Cut for Time” segment, Attorney Wes Johnson explains why one part of the hospital creeped him out the most. Plus, he’ll share the extent he had to go to use the one functioning bathroom at Edgewater Hospital. 

We’ll go more in depth from Episode 6: “Day of Reckoning” of If the Walls Could Talk Podcast™ and dissect more from Peter Rogan’s civil trial. Patreon subscribers will hear what major player from the fraud scheme was never called to testify and one possible reason for it. They’ll also hear from the hospital’s head of nursing and how she seemed to have a difficult time remembering what happened during her time at Edgewater Hospital. Patreon subscribers will hear what she said in her deposition.

Peter Rogan’s lawyer also explains why this case from 2006 still sticks with him all these many years later. Plus, he’ll share how money played into the outcome. 

As if this case wasn’t already strange enough: long before the trial even began, the case made headlines when an explosive war of words broke out between the judge and prosecution. Things completely spiraled out of control before cooler heads prevailed.

You can unlock hours of additional stories, interviews and behind-the-scenes content by supporting us on Patreon. You’ll also get access to our weekly “Second Opinion”.

The entire series of If the Walls Could Talk Podcast™ is now available. Another way to support the show is to leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. A 5-star review goes a long way in helping others find this podcast.