Political Corruption in New York State

State officials take down a respected health caretargeted in accordance with the State's efforts to
facility because they were too successful.bring down agencies that were successful.
Despite the recent atrocities in New York thatFrank Buonanotte, the former CEO of Crossings
caused the removal of a now former Governor, EliotRecovery Centers is in the process of suing OASAS,
Spitzer, what most people are unaware of is that thethe State of New York and Henry Zwack, who was
corruption doesn't stop there. The State of Newthe State's spin doctor. At the time, Zwack was the
York has been trying to lower its Medicaid spendinghead of the General Counsels office at OASAS. Prior
for a while. The Medicaid system provides a healthto that, Zwack was ousted from his position as
care benefit to the indigent population, funded in partCounty Executive of Rensselaer County as a result
by the State. However, behind closed doors, theof several counts of corruption. Henry Zwack had 15
State recognizes that the indigent population isindictments under his belt before he participated in
predominately a population that doesn't vote, sothe deliberate destruction of Crossings. Now Zwack is
depriving them of benefits usually doesn't have manya judge in the New York State Court of Claims. Who
consequences to politicians.knows how much havoc he's causing there.
When figuring the majority of the Medicaid expense,Buonanotte won his first bit of success in his lawsuit
it doesn't take too much to determine that most ofagainst the State when a Federal Court judge
the money is going toward paying for substancedismissed the State's motion to dismiss the case. The
abuse treatment. Statistics indicate that a largeJudge felt that there was enough evidence of wrong
portion of the Medicaid population require some typedoing on the State's part to proceed with a trial.
of alcohol and/or drug treatment. Therefore, StateBuonanotte expects depositions to begin this summer
politicians found that an inordinate amount of Medicaidand plans on being in front of a jury in the fall of
dollars were going to substance abuse treatment2008. Buonanotte is suing Henry Zwack and the
facilities. These facilities aren't billing Medicaid illegally. Itformer Commissioner of OASAS, Shari Noonan in
just so happens that a great number of patientsFederal Court and is suing OASAS in the New York
covered under the Medicaid program require alcoholState Court of Claims. The irony of this case is that
drug treatment.Buonanotte's lawsuit against the State is to the tune
Since politicians are not known for their business skillsof $90 Million which is far more than Crossings had
or ability to properly manage money, New Yorkever billed Medicaid for treatment.
State officials, in their infinite wisdom, felt that theNeither Frank Buonanotte nor Crossings were
only way to control Medicaid spending was the takecharged with Medicaid fraud. Only petty paper
down the medical facilities that were billing the most.violations that Buonanotte describes as "dotting i's
It didn't matter to the State that these facilitiesand crossing t's" citations. Such citations could be
were billing Medicaid legally, nor did it matter to themfound in any medical facility across the State. It also
that patients were actually getting better byappears as if the State of New York has targeted
receiving the treatment services that they needed.other substance abuse treatment agencies in the
Behind the scenes, the State launched a diabolical plansame corrupt manner in which they did Crossings.
to systematically destroy large alcohol and drugThere is now a 6-8 week waiting period before
treatment centers in New York in an effort to cutpatients can be treated at any of the existing alcohol
spending.and drug treatment centers on Long Island. Oddly
Crossings Recovery Centers was one of the State'senough, no one has been able to realize that this is
victims. Crossings was the largest provider ofthe reason why DWIs and alcohol/drug related
outpatient substance abuse treatment on Long Islandcrimes and deaths are at an all-time high on Long
up until 2006 when the New York State ofIsland.
Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS)Everyone wants their taxes to be lower but at what
conjured up some bogus charges, devising an excuseexpense? Another question is how much more will it
to shut the agency down. Up until then, Crossingscost taxpayers in terms of crime and wrongful
had not had any blemishes on its record in the almostdeaths to have alcoholics and drug addicts go
2 decades that their clinics had been in existence. Inuntreated? An even better question is how much will
an effort to justify their unlawful actions, the Stateit cost taxpayers to pay for the State's unlawful
of New York had to claim that Crossings hadactions if Buonanotte wins his lawsuit?
numerous violations but the fact is, Crossings was