TULARE COUNTY, CA (KMJ) – The Tulare County District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation took Healthcare Conglomerate Associates (HCCA) CEO Dr. Yorai “Benny” Benzeevi into custody Thursday night at Los Angeles International Airport
The Office of the District Attorney coordinated with Benzeevi’s local counsel and federal officials at the American Embassy in Manila, Philippines, for his self-deportation and return to the United States.
Benzeevi was initially taken into custody and processed by US Customs officials before he was turned over to TCDA investigators, who then transported him back to Tulare County where he was booked and released on $4 million bail.
The Office of the District Attorney, with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigations, revoked Benzeevi’s passport while he was in the Philippines. He does not possess a current passport.
On August 11, 2020, the Office of the District Attorney filed 40 felony and six misdemeanor charges against Benzeevi, HCCA CFO Alan Germany of Arizona, and Tulare Regional Medical Center / HCCA counsel Bruce Greene of Los Angeles.
It is alleged that the defendants used control of public hospital entities to enrich themselves through the improper use of taxpayer and private loans, and other public integrity crimes.
Crimes alleged include misappropriation of government funds, conflicts of interest, money laundering, embezzlement, theft, and failure to disclose funds intended to influence a political campaign.
If convicted, each defendant potentially faces a significant state prison commitment.
The specific amount of prison time as to each defendant varies due to the nature of the charges and California sentencing rules; however, on the most serious charge (money laundering) Benzeevi is potentially facing 13 years while Greene and Germany are each facing up to 9 years.
Greene and Germany have potential maximum sentences of well over a decade should they be found guilty of all of the charges and allegations, and Benzeevi is facing in excess of four decades.
Beenzevi is scheduled for arraignment on January 6, 2021.
Greene and Germany will return to court on December 18 for a scheduled hearing.
Click to listen to the report by KMJ’s Liz Kern:
