Broward Health facing FBI, state probes after CEO’s suicide
Broward Health reportedly is under two investigations—one federal, another state— that have come to light after the recent suicide of the Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based system’s CEO.
The FBI is looking into claims of corruption following evidence gathered by a corporate investigator allegedly hired by Dr. Nabil El Sanadi, according to a not-for-profit investigative journalism organization.
El Sanadi shot himself last month in the lobby bathroom of his Lauderdale-by-the-Sea condo building.
Investigator Wayne Black said he had been meeting El Sanadi for the past year in restaurants and at the executive’s home because El Sanadi feared his office was bugged, according to an e-mail obtained by the news website Florida Bulldog.
Just hours after El Sanadi’s funeral this month, Black told Broward Health’s general counsel that his evidence had led to the FBI investigation. Black’s previous investigations resulted in the 2003 conviction of Broward Health Chief Financial Officer Patricia Mahaney for embezzlement, according to the Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel newspaper.
Broward Health criticized Black in a statement released last week, saying he failed to fulfill his obligations, acted unprofessionally and was belligerent to Broward Health personnel, according to the Sun Sentinel.
Neither the FBI nor the health system has confirmed that an investigation is ongoing. But the FBI probe would be one of at least two facing Broward Health.
Florida Bulldog reported that Florida’s chief inspector general, who works for Gov. Rick Scott, sent a letter dated the day of El Sanadi’s funeral to Broward Health Chairman David Di Pietro. The letter outlined plans to conduct a review of all contracts the system has entered into since July 1, 2012, according to the report.
Di Pietro has called a Feb. 10 special meeting of the hospital district board to address the investigations.
In the days after El Sanadi’s suicide, friends and colleagues struggled to find reasons for his death. Some speculated that he had become depressed after undergoing triple-bypass surgery. Evidence suggests patients who undergo such procedures are prone to impaired cognitive function and depression.