Prosecutors say Funes stole gift cards intended for cancer patients
(Baton Rouge, LA) – A member of the Governor’s Healthcare Transition Committee pled guilty in a Baton Rouge Federal Court today to charges of wire fraud and money laundering.
Federal Investigators caught John Paul Funes chartering private flights for his friends and family while forcing the Our Lake of the Lake Foundation to cover the expenses by creating fraudulent bills for “outbound patient transports”. Investigators also discovered Funes repeatedly stole gift cards intended for cancer patients and spent them for his personal benefit.
After being elected Governor, John Bel Edwards named John Paul Funes to his Healthcare Transition Committee and tasked the committee with developing a plan to expand Medicaid in Louisiana.
The Governor’s expansion of Medicaid was a disaster. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been wasted, tens of thousands of people have been kicked out of the program, and thousands have died on waiting lists.
Conservatives in Louisiana have been shocked at the amount of fraud and waste and have been wondering for years why an Administration would make so many mistakes with so much taxpayer money at risk.
Today we found out why.
