Former hospital CEO milks frozen accounts

~~Adz:Right~~St. Thomas, USVI -FORMER Schneider Regional Medical Center chief executive officer Rodney Miller Sr. will have to explain to V.I. Superior Court Judge James Carroll III  a number of withdrawals taken from his personal account; an account frozen by court order.

Over the course of August, Miller reportedly transferred over US $1 million from a Pentagon Federal Credit Union account, wiring funds to various legal firms and his immediate family.

Bank accounts in Miller’s wife and mother’s name were allegedly credited with $700,000 and $100,000 respectively with $385,000 going to his lawyers, Charles Grant and William Glore.

On August 5 Judge Carroll had ordered a 60-day temporary restraining order (TRO) freezing personal assets including vehicles, homes and bank accounts of Miller and two other former Schneider Regional officials, former Schneider Regional CEO Amos Carty Sr. and chief financial officer Peter Najawicz.

The TRO was filed under the Criminally Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (CICO) section of the V.I. Code after a joint federal and local inspectors general audit released July 29 found inappropriate retirement fund payments, lack of oversight, compensation overpayments to hospital executives, abuse of credit card privileges, inappropriate cost reimbursements to executives and underreporting of executive compensation.

60-day TROs freezing certain bank accounts of Thelma Lockett and Ronica Miller, Miller’s mother and wife were recently obtained although the judge denied prosecutors’ requests to freeze other bank accounts.

Prosecution attempts to include four vehicles recently procured by Miller to the list of frozen assets were also thwarted by Carroll, who released properties on the list that according to the VI Daily News “no longer belong to Najawicz and Miller”.

Although State prosecutors have said they will soon lay indictments, none of the three former hospital officials have been charged under the CICO Act. , however a criminal investigation was launched and Miller has been charged with fraud.

Miller, along with his attorneys Glore and Grant are scheduled to appear before Judge Carroll for a show-cause hearing on September 23 to determine if they will be held in civil contempt of court for violating the TRO.