(The Center Square) – Illinois state Rep. La Shawn Ford says he is still struggling to understand how the allegations the federal government is making against the former head of the Loretto Hospital happened. Ford is a longtime supporter of Loretto and a former board member.
As part of an ongoing investigation, federal officials charged former Loretto Hospital CEO George Miller Jr. with conspiracy in a 45-count second superseding indictment. Prosecutors allege Miller was one of two men paid at least $19 million over a three year period beginning in 2018 to steer vendor contracts and other hospital business to companies owned and operated by Chicagoan Sameer Suhail.
“I didn’t think we had $19 million to steal,” Ford, D-Chicago, said of the safety net hospital. “The hospital is on life support and I never knew that we had that kind of money that could be available for that and still have the hospital running.”
Ford once served on the hospital’s Board of Trustees. He stepped down from the board in the spring of 2021 at the height of a different scandal where Miller and Chief Financial Officer Dr. Anosh Ahmed were accused of vaccinating ineligible people for COVID-19 soon after the shots became available. They administered the vaccines at such ritzy places as Trump Tower and a Gold Coast business. At the time, Ford, whose district includes the West Side hospital, said he strongly disagreed with how the two were disciplined in the case.
“It was hard,” he added of his decision to leave Loretto, “but there was just something wrong with the leadership that just wasn’t right and that caused me to make comments to the board and make strong recommendations to take action against some of our leadership and we didn’t see eye to eye with the actions.”
In all, authorities allege Miller, who left the hospital in 2022, received in the neighborhood of $769,000 in bribes, while Ahmed, who was previously charged along with two others in the first indictment, is now reported to have fled to Dubai.
“I think the community has every right to be angry and upset,” Ford told The Center Square. “I think that it’s their money and this is a community house. There’s new leadership now and hopefully this will move the hospital to a better state. I believe in the need for this hospital.”
Still, Ford admitted it’s going to take time for him to come to grips with all that’s happened.
“I thought they were in favor of doing good for the community,” Ford said. “That was my hope when I was on that board. He deceived all of us, thinking that he was there for the people of the community. I fought hard when I would get calls to make sure that the state released and gave money to save the hospital from shutting down. To be stealing from the hospital while you’re already under pressure is pretty damning.”
Arraignments stemming from the most recent indictment have not yet been scheduled.
