Two former Missouri healthcare executives have pled guilty to what authorities say was a widespread conspiracy that also involved several Arkansas officials.
Bontiea Bernedette Goss, 63, and her husband, Tommy Ray Goss, 66, pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges. They were executives at the Springfield, Mo.-based Preferred Family Healthcare which provided healthcare-related services to five states, including Arkansas.
Prosecutors say the couple and others paid bribes and kickbacks to Arkansas lawmakers in exchange for legislation and other actions that helped Preferred Family Healthcare. The scheme involved millions of dollars and ensnared several Arkansas legislators, lobbyists, and other company employees since the investigation began.
Earlier this year, Preferred Family Healthcare agreed to pay more than $8 million in forfeiture and restitution to the federal government and the state of Arkansas under the terms of a non-prosecution agreement, which acknowledges the criminal conduct of its former officers and employees, according to a release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Health Resources of Arkansas, which was formerly headquartered in Batesville, was acquired by Preferred Family Healthcare in 2014. After the acquisition, two employees were charged in Independence County Circuit Court while a former Izard County official was also connected to the schemes.
To read the official release from the U.S. Department of Justice, click here.
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