Behind Massive Frauds

From the Guardian blurb on YouTube.com:

Jenna Ryan, a Texas real estate broker who took a private jet to Washington to join the attack on the US Capitol, pleaded with Donald Trump to pardon her after she was arrested by federal authorities. Ryan said she thought she was following what her president ‘asked us to do’ and that she had been ‘displaying my patriotism’ in travelling to Washington DC, where she filmed herself entering the Capitol building. ‘I’m facing a prison sentence,’ she told CBS 11 News at her home in Dallas. ‘I do not deserve that’

Ed. comment: you should have practiced fraud

This should come a little surprise. Those who took inventory of who got those eagerly sought Trump pardons – figuring he would pardon even the worst of America’s criminal class – they seemed to find out that he (Trump) favored a particular style of criminal. The fraudster who committed massive frauds on the public much like he himself did.

That brings us to this story from Kaiser Health News. Much like he let Steve Bannon off for scamming the Republican base by selling them a story that they were doing to take their money and build a wall between the US and Mexico only to pocket the money, Trump found many a fraud who had been caught stealing from the public with medical scams that were worthy of a pardon:

At the last minute, President Donald Trump granted pardons to several individuals convicted in huge Medicare swindles that prosecutors alleged often harmed or endangered elderly and infirm patients while fleecing taxpayers.

“These aren’t just technical financial crimes. These were major, major crimes,” said Louis Saccoccio, chief executive officer of the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association, an advocacy group.

The list of some 200 Trump pardons or commutations, most issued as he vacated the White House this week, included at least seven doctors or health care entrepreneurs who ran discredited health care enterprises, from nursing homes to pain clinics. One is a former doctor and California hospital owner embroiled in a massive workers’ compensation kickback scheme that prosecutors alleged prompted more than 14,000 dubious spinal surgeries. Another was in prison after prosecutors accused him of ripping off more than $1 billion from Medicare and Medicaid through nursing homes and other senior care facilities, among the largest frauds in U.S. history.

“All of us are shaking our heads with these insurance fraud criminals just walking free,” said Matthew Smith, executive director of the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud. The White House argued all deserved a second chance. One man was said to have devoted himself to prayer, while another planned to resume charity work or other community service. Others won clemency at the request of prominent Republican ex-attorneys general or others who argued their crimes were victimless or said critical errors by prosecutors had led to improper convictions.

Trump commuted the sentence of former nursing home magnate Philip Esformes in late December. He was serving a 20-year sentence for bilking $1 billion from Medicare and Medicaid. An FBI agent called him “a man driven by almost unbounded greed.” Prosecutors said that Esformes used proceeds from his crimes to make a series of “extravagant purchases, including luxury automobiles and a $360,000 watch.”

There are many more examples with details at the link.

The point of this story is that as we get more and more details of the Trump crime syndicate we get a picture of a man driven to defraud anyone and everyone. Those who continue to throw their lot in with this crook will be turned on at some point if Trump loves long enough.

Those in Iowa’s public offices who have knelt at the shrine of Trump will find him no friend. Look, he actively worked to get his own vice-president killed in the insurrection he inspired on January 6th. Since then here in Iowa we have seen Iowa’s three Republican congress members bow to him – Feenstra, Hinson and the temporary Miller-Meeks. 

We have also seen our senators claim the constitutional provisions on impeachment do not apply to him. The reasoning behind Joni Ernst’s statements was some especially tortured logic. The best way to save your own butt is to stand up to him now.

Fealty doesn’t get you loved in the Trump world. Look at the Mike Pence story. Few were as self debasing in front of Trump. At the last minute Trump turned the blame on to Pence and Pence became target #1.

But when it comes to Trump love, he saves that for those who screw over little guy for a big score. We have the pardons to prove it.