Episode 7
"Fringe Benefit"
If the Walls Could Talk Podcast™
A struggling Chicago hospital did just about anything to admit patients. During the ’90s and 2000s, Edgewater Hospital performed hundreds of unnecessary heart surgeries on patients just to pad its bottom line. Multiple patients died. Hear what lengths the government went in order to stop the fraud and why many believe the owner got away with it. Former employees, patients, investigators, and urban explorers recount the tangled history of what happened within the walls of Chicago’s Edgewater Hospital.
After losing a $64 million civil suit to the government, Peter Rogan fled to Canada and lived in a swanky Vancouver penthouse. Even after the feds filed criminal charges, they struggled to bring him back back to Chicago. Meanwhile, the Edgewater Hospital campus crumbled and became a magnet for crime. The neighborhood demanded it be torn down.
See photos of Peter Rogan’s yacht and haunting images of the abandoned hospital on the episode page of our website: IftheWallsCouldTalkPodcast.com
Hear bonus content, additional stories, interviews and behind-the-scenes content by supporting us on Patreon.
Join us on Instagram and our Facebook Group.
————————————–
This episode was written and produced by: Todd Ganz
Unlock bonus content on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ifthewallscouldtalkpodcast
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
If the Walls Could Talk Podcast™ – Episode 7: “Fringe Benefit”
After losing his civil case to the US Government, Peter Rogan was on the hook for $64 million for his role in the fraud scheme at Edgewater Hospital. Less than 2 weeks later, he fled to Canada where he fought extradition for nearly a decade. Episode 7: “Fringe Benefit” details Peter Rogan’s years of living in Canada while his numerous legal proceedings continued back in Chicago.
Along with his $64 million civil judgment to the government, Peter Rogan was ordered to pay Dexia Bank $126 million. But he wasn’t voluntarily paying, so government and Dexia lawyers had to collect this money. They ultimately found millions of dollars stashed all across the globe. Collecting this money would take years and cost tens of millions of dollars. Was the juice worth the squeeze? One of Dexia’s lawyers explains.
Also at stake was Peter Rogan’s yacht (named “Fringe Benefit”) and home in Indiana. Then came the question of who owned a luxury condo in downtown Chicago. Dexia’s lawyers said it was Peter Rogan’s — but his children (who lived there) claimed they didn’t know who their landlord was.
Even after being arrested in Canada, Peter Rogan hired Canadian counsel to fight his return to the United States. All the while, he lived in a gorgeous Vancouver penthouse. Peter even skipped his son’s wedding in 2007…choosing instead to remain in Canada. But that wedding wasn’t without some drama: Peter’s friend and lawyer, Fred Cuppy, was served a summons by the FBI. The feds ultimately pinched Fred Cuppy and charged him with perjury. Cuppy eventually entered into a plea deal and went to prison.
As the Edgewater neighborhood watched the abandoned Edgewater Hospital crumble into what they called a dangerous and “menacing hulk”, they went to their local Alderman and demanded it be torn down. Instead, Barbara O’Connor, the Alderman’s wife, made millions selling homes on the hospital’s former parking lots…and it was all perfectly legal.
With all of this happening, dozens of Urban Explorers broke in and photographed the now abandoned hospital. Inside, they found the hospital filled with medical equipment and thousands of medical records. Their chilling photos of a hospital frozen in time soon turned up on the internet and made Edgewater a hotspot for anyone with a camera. Urban Explorers flocked to the hospital for a glimpse of what remained.
Listen to Episode 7: “Fringe Benefit” and hear all head-shaking details of Peter Rogan’s years in Canada and what some of the Urban Explorers encountered inside the abandoned Edgewater Hospital.
Support us on PATREON and hear this week’s Second Opinion episode. This week, we’ll go into further detail of the events covered in Episode 7: “Fringe Benefit”. We’ll dissect how Peter was able to stay in Canada for nearly a decade and why the feds couldn’t do much about it. Read some of the Canadian court documents here. We’ll also discuss Peter’s appeal of that $64 million verdict and share audio from the case.
Climb aboard and tour Fringe Benefit (Peter’s yacht) and the Rogan’s Chicago condo that became the center of controversy.
Unlock hear hours of additional stories, interviews and behind-the-scenes content by supporting us on Patreon. You’ll also have access to our weekly “Second Opinion” episodes.
The entire series of If the Walls Could Talk Podcast™ is now available. You can also support our independently-produced podcast by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. A 5-star review goes a long way in helping others to find this series.