Daniels has served as an HHC board member despite the key role she and her law firm have played in representing the interests of the HHC's key private sector partner, American Senior Communities, the company at the center of a federal investigation that today claimed the job of its long-time CEO, James Burkhart.
Publicly-available court records show Daniels' law firm has represented ASC in litigation matters. Additionally, it has been registered at least for more than a decade to represent ASC's interests at the Indiana General Assembly. State lobbying records show Daniels was among several Krieg DeVault employees registered to lobby on behalf of ASC. Krieg DeVault and Daniels have lobbied on behalf of ASC at least since 2001 according to state lobbying records.
For a number of years, Krieg DeVault and Daniels simultaneously represented both ASC and HHC before the Indiana General Assembly. Daniels' law firm had shared lobbying responsibilities for HHC with Barnes & Thornburg until 2012 when Barnes & Thornburg alone began representing HHC. Shortly after FBI and other federal agents raided ASC CEO James Burkhart's sprawling Carmel mansion earlier this week, a high profile criminal defense attorney for Barnes & Thornburg, Larry Mackey, emerged to say he was representing Burkhart.
Mackey's representation of Burkhart also raises conflict of interest questions. News reports have suggested the federal investigation revolves around potential Medicaid/Medicare reimbursement issues. HHC's CEO Matt Gutwein could not ensure members of the City-County Council's Municipal Corporations Committee that the investigation might not impact revenues HHC has received in the past from the 78 nursing homes ASC operates on behalf of HHC. Gutwein assured council members that neither the HHC nor its employees are the subject or targets of the federal investigation. HHC relies on the revenues generated from the ASC-operated nursing homes to pay debt service on its $750 million Eskenazi Hospital. If that revenue source is jeopardized, large property tax increases will have to be levied on Marion County property owners to pay that debt service. Both Burkhart and Daniels, incidentally, serve on the Eskenazi Foundation board that supports the hospital.
City-County Councilor Kip Tew (D), who is a partner with Daniels at Krieg DeVault, also is registered to lobby on behalf of ASC. When HHC's Matt Gutwein and Dan Sellers testified Thursday night before the Municipal Corporations Committee about the ongoing investigation before the HHC's budget hearing, Tew queried Gutwein about the "unique relationship" HHC has with ASC without disclosing his role in representing ASC.
11 comments:
Who vets these appointees? She had a conflict of interest the day she started serving on the board. It should have never happened.
Wow, glaring conflict for sure. Such an inconvenience to the local elitists and hacks.
Tip knew or kip tew
who is jean macdonald
that cozy jocular talk at beginning is give away to someone trained in what is going on here
This is bad. Maybe the noose is finally tightening around Indianapolis corruption. Someone is going to have to print out this webpage and mail it to the Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission stapled to a Complaint Form. Daniels is looking at disbarment. Mitch may try to pull a few strings for Deb, but it's probably time for him to resign Purdue and head back to Washington D.C. before the heat gets too hot.
Why is it the rich and connected attorneys are the most corrupt and the most untouched by the Supreme Court?
We might be getting rid of the corrupt Daniels clan.
Anon 11:43 Perhaps we should all print it out and mail it to as many out of district federal prosecutors as we can. There has to be some young buck or buckette out there with political aspirations who recognizes that by cleaning up this local banjo-picking incestuous swamp they could make a name for themselves and in the process, vault into a position where they too can rape, pillage and plunder. I'd be willing to accept that if, in the process, they put a few of these inbred local hacks in leg irons.
Gary knows all too well the Bar will only discipline lawyers that steal from or have sex with clients or criticize the powerful, such as Paul Ogden. They won't do anything about any other violations--except make you feel like an idiot for even raising them.
Burkhart will probably end up with the Golden Parachute. In any case given all the webs of Crony-Capitalism, into the Elected and Appointed Officials and McMega-Media Pressitutes here in Indiana there will be a lot of circling the wagons, smoke screens and camouflage to protect the selected. Think of giant clam shell closing.
If we did have some prosecutors Federal and Local who actually did their jobs they would be working over time to clean this cesspool up. We will probably end up with the "one bad apple". You know the system is OK, but we had one bad apple.
Krieg DeVault is about to implode according to the scuttlebutt. Many are looking for the exit door and Daniels' leadership is speeding up that process.
Deborah J. Daniels
Deborah Daniels, former U.S. Attorney and U.S. Assistant Attorney General, has lengthy experience in criminal and civil investigations and public safety. Her work has included responsibilities at the U.S. Department of Justice directly related to the nation’s response to the September 11th attack on the U.S., data and communications interoperability, and the nation's ability to detect, prevent and respond to future terrorist acts. Daniels provides counsel to the firm’s public and private sector clients in matters affecting public safety, homeland security, disaster preparedness, leveraging of federal and state resources, federal and state regulatory compliance and internal investigations. She assists the firm’s clients in interacting with agencies of the federal government, including both the Executive Branch and the U.S. Congress, and advises clients ranging from government agencies to health care providers to other private sector entities on compliance and public policy matters.
Committees: Audit, Public Health
Anyone here see the Law firm she works for, or the Lobbyist she is affiliated with.
Oh by the way, Ms. Daniels worked with Heir Straub in Maryland on a large project, and was one of his markers to land his job here in Indy,as Public Safety Director along with Former Mayor Steve Goldsmith, who was Deputy Mayor of New York City.
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