Broward Health under investigation by federal grand jury

Private investigator hired by hospital speaks of 'culture of corruption'

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. ā€“ Already reeling from the suicide of chief executive officer Nabil El Sanadi, publicly financed Broward Health Medical Center is now dealing with corruption allegations that Local 10 News has learned is the subject of a federal grand jury investigation.

The investigation centers on allegations of kickbacks and other crimes stemming from an internal investigation conducted at the behest of Broward Health Chairman David DiPietro. El-Sanadi hired private investigator Wayne Black last year to conduct the investigation and, according to a memorandum he sent to the board last month, Black found ample evidence of wrongdoing that he shared with the FBI. Now the federal grand jury is investigating, an issue addressed at an emergency board meeting Wednesday night by Carlos Perez-Irizarry, Broward Health's chief ethics officer.

"We ask you not to disclose the existence of the subpoena," he told the hospital's board of directors.

The agency, whose board is appointed by Gov. Rick Scott and receives about $150 million a year in property tax dollars from homeowners, refused to release the grand jury subpoena to Local 10, arguing that it is exempt from Floridaā€™s Sunshine Law governing public records.

DiPietro called the emergency meeting to discuss the agencyā€™s compliance with federal investigators, as well as Blackā€™s allegation in his memo that general counsel Lynn Barrett had obstructed the FBI in getting information.

Barrett, the general counsel under fire for alleged obstructionism, encouraged the board to halt the discussion and instead hold the meeting in private. After a motion from member Sheela VanHoose, the board voted to do just that in a 5-2 decision. Barrett and the board werenā€™t even sure a shade meeting would be legal under the law.

"If this board wants to go in the shade, I want to be on the record that I think that is one of the most inappropriate decisions I've ever had to vote on," DiPietro said.

DiPietro at one point suggested that he may resign.

Black, meanwhile, was allowed to address the board.

"This place has had a culture of corruption and a culture of obstruction for too long," Black said.

Board members confirmed that former purchasing director Brian Bravo is one subject of the investigation. Bravo, who oversaw hundreds of millions of dollars in purchases for Broward Health, was recently terminated from his position.

"The favoritism in contracts, they jump off the page at you," Black said.

Local 10's efforts to contact Bravo for comment were unsuccessful.