S. Tahoe man admits to bilking golf course investors
By AP
A South Lake Tahoe man accused of bilking 11 investors out of $3.6 million in a fraudulent scheme to buy a Douglas County golf course has pleaded guilty to 24 federal charges, including wire fraud and money laundering.
Scott Summerhays
U.S. Attorney Dan Bogden says 55-year-old Scott Summerhays pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court in Reno.
From 2008-10, prosecutors say Summerhays told potential investors he was purchasing Genoa Lakes Golf Club near Gardnerville for $17 million.
They say he faked documents suggesting he was a partner with Las Vegas Sands owner Sheldon Adelson and owned $30 million in stock in the Sands, MGM and Berkshire Hathaway. He faces up to 30 years in prison and $5.7 million in fines at his May 29 sentencing before Judge Larry Hicks.
Lake Tahoe: A Sunny Place for Shady People!
Lots of fraudsters running around. Last month we read about the ‘international security’ fraud scheme that roped in two local doctors. Now this.
You can’t trust anybody’s claims without verification. If it’s on the up & up, they won’t mind being transparent and letting your lawyers look into it. The promise of big bucks on the sly gets ’em every time.
You nailed it Dogula! No such thing as “easy money”.
Yeah, thanks, Bigs.
Back when I worked at Cantina, we had a guy come in who claimed to be with Steely Dan. Big, personable, talkative guy. He could even write poetry/songs for people at the drop of a hat. Ate and drank all afternoon for free by charming half the people in there. A week or so later, it was in the news that he was another fraud. I had been suspicious, just because he talked too freely about who and what he was. I didn’t buy him anything. Real stars don’t brag. (Or didn’t used to.) Fortunately that day, nobody lost more than the price of a couple of drinks and some lunch.
Con men succeed because they are inevitably very charming, very likeable. They suck you in. Don’t trust ANYBODY.
It’s hard to can’t cheat an honest man.
Trust is not necessarily a good thing. The victims trusted this guy. What fools.
I saw that Barton Hospital is creating huge medical bills by shipping out injury patients to Renown in Reno. The majority of responses thought I was wrong for being suspicious of Barton. Yet, this practice could be a huge fraud being perpetrated against us citizens. I’m not saying this “is” a fraud, I’m saying there is a possibility it is.
The way someone at Barton could be defrauding the people is simple, and could be done in two steps. Knowing that a helicopter ride generates $25,000 of income, those rides could be a standard practice because it generates the greatest income. Persons that don’t really require serious emergency treatment, could be deliberately ordered to the helicopter, and sent to Renown. The fraud would be any person at Barton doing this unnecessarily. The benefit would be to those collecting the money for the helicopter rides. Because Barton is not collecting the helicopter money directly, the fraud is disguised.
This could also be done without the hospital administration’s knowledge. All it would take would be a person working in the emergency room diverting patients to Reno. That person could be on the take without the hospital’s knowledge.
I’m not being paranoid. A person diverting five patients per month could generate over $100,000. This is big money. The numbers alone justify my suspicion.
tahoe Pizza Eater,
I’m pretty sure that when someone arrives at the Barton ER with serious injuries they are immediately cared for by a variety of medical professionals including nurses, laboratory technicians and doctors. I’m sure the decisions that are made regarding transfer to a trauma center such as Renown follow a protocol that has the patient’s treatment for these serious injuries as their #1 priority. Since Barton has made a business decision to avoid the high cost of maintaining a trauma center these patients are flown to Reno where these facilities exist.
Before you make unsubstantiated accusations of fraud based on some Jr. Detective conspiracy “suspicions”, try thinking about all the first responders and EMT’s, hospital personnel on both ends and Care Flight employees that would have to be in collusion to pull this off. That’s ridiculous speculation and an insult to all the people you accuse.
the head trauma i suffered last summer in part resulted in a barton double billing fiasco.
Hey tahoe pizza, what if the patient was your kid and was just involved in a hit and run. You have The professionals that are assessing his condition and its their professional opinion to rush your child to the best facility, I suppose you want them to stop and think about what you would think about their decision and if they might get accused of being in cahoots with the billing department. So if thats the kind of service you want it would be a good idea to just stay at home in a bubble.
There are people talking here about Barton’s billing in other ways. I’m seeing something that looks very suspicious. B. B. , You can’t justify trusting these people just because they’re doctors, and not when the numbers are way out of wack, like a $25,000 helicopter ride. I wouldn’t be suspicious if the helicopter ride was $5,000. You see my point.
double billing is a level of service benchmark? seems more like fraud.
Go Figure : Don’t put words in my mouth . You’re one of the attackers here in this forum that people talk about, and you’re one of the worst offenders putting words in people’s mouths.
What I want from a hospital is hospital treatment. Barton should have a trauma center. I don’t expect that anyone in need of urgent hospital care be shipped off to another hospital that is 20 minutes away by helicopter. If a patient is truly in need of serious emergency treatment there is a risk that further trouble arises while the patient is in flight. That circumstance results in the patient up there with a paramedic and no further hospital equipment or aid. If I were a father with a kid in trouble, I wouldn’t be content with the helicopter option.
The trauma center doesn’t need to be state of the art, or the best that money can buy. But a trauma center is what’s needed. It should be equipped to handle most car accident victims, and heart attack victims. Anything less, and I wouldn’t call that a hospital.
Getting back on the subject of fraud : The reason I suspect something afoul here is that I cannot justify anything close to a $25,000 helicopter bill. Crunch some numbers, and you’ll likely come up with a bill between $5,000 and $10,000.
TPE: It’s likely not the price of the flight, but the price of the medical staff on board, equipment maintenance, and #1: insurance! Liability & malpractice insurances KILL the medical industry. You can thank lawyers and the public’s propensity for wanting to win the lottery anytime anything goes slightly wrong.
Dogula the facts are not on your side. As usual.
Medical malpractice accounts for 2.4%
http://www.forbes.com/sites/rickungar/2010/09/07/the-true-cost-of-medical-malpractice-it-may-surprise-you/
“Some of the more vocal opponents to health care reform have long argued that doing away with medical malpractice would go a long way towards solving a major cost problem in the system. Given the small percentage of the health care dollar spent on medical malpractice issues, that would hardly appear to be the case.”
It also discusses defensive medicine:
“Physician and insurer groups like to collapse all conversations about cost growth in health care to malpractice reform, while their opponents trivialize the role of defensive medicine. Our study demonstrates that both these simplifications are wrong — the amount of defensive medicine is not trivial, but it’s unlikely to be a source of significant savings.”
Thoughts?
Dogula : You still haven’t crunched the numbers. But if you won’t crunch some numbers, here’s another point. If maintaining a helicopter service is so expensive, then there is a very good reason to spend money on a trauma center. Do you really think we should be paying $25,000 for a helicopter ride ? They’re using paramedics with portable equipment on that helicopter. Other than the portable equipment brought by the paramedics, it’s just a helicopter and pilot.
I’m not receiving any arguments that justify a $25,000 price tag. But keep trying, maybe someone can shed more light on this subject. The subject is “fraud”. I’m suggesting that the $25,000 price of medical helicopter rides to Renown Medical center in Reno may be fraudulently manipulated.
Just because law suits aren’t filed doesn’t mean an enormous amount of money isn’t spent trying to avoid them.
Tpe sticks and stones….i was just pointing out that the professionals are making the call, not someone in the accounting dept. I guess if anyone is that paranoid that they will get ripped off during a trauma emergency than thats really their problem. Sounds like more of the gop scare mongering going on…btw, you obviously have some anger issues with me and my opinions, hope it dosent land you in the hospital where they will triple charge you for treatment…be safe…
Go Figure : You are demonstrating anger issues, not me. You just continue showing a preference towards insulting people whom you disagree with. If you want an example of how to avoid personal attacks, just read Dogula’s comments in response to mine. There is no hostility between us. We just disagree and describe our views. I have no issues with your opinions. But you insult people. You don’t seem to be able to avoid insulting people. Paranoia is unjustified suspicion. I can justify my suspicion. The story that has prompted this discussion is about how this man defrauded people of millions of dollars. I’ll bet they wish they had been more suspicious of him.
TO ALL : I’ve listened to many people explaining their beliefs about how they trust people. Some of these people can become prime targets for fraud. Suspicion is not a bad thing. Suspicion is a defense that allows people to protect their wealth and their safety. Yet, suspicion seems to get a bad rap in society. Trust contributes to a con person’s methods. Distrust, or suspicion, is not paranoia. It’s a defense mechanism necessary to surviving in modern society.
Here in Arizona it is $50,000 to fly you to a hospital that is only 127 miles away and if you don’t have Ins. You must pay cash up front.
Thank God that I have M.A.S.A. That is Medical Air Services Association. Every one should have it. Look it up on Google. good anywhere in the world for life. one time pay for membership of $2,240 and never pay again for anything.
look it up on Google at MASA.Com
Tpe take a chill pill
im not angry about anything here, just expressing my opinion and you seem to be the one on the defensive. I have been verbally attacked many times by dog face so your example of agree to disagree with her is lost on me. She is no role model in my opinion.Talk about suspicion, I guess thats just your nature, no insult intended.
Go Figure : Are you totally hopeless? You insulted me with your claim that I am paranoid. You can’t disagree without insulting people. That’s just the way you are. Go back and take a look at what you posted. Bijou Bill seems to be catching on. He’s not dealing out insults like he was months ago. Now it’s your turn to take a chill pill.
tahoe Pizza Eater,
I found your response to my criticism of your charges of fraud by employees at Barton to be too weak to even waste any more of my time with your conspiracy theories. I think you don’t really know what you’re talking about re: Care Flight Reno, Calstar or their air ambulance operations and cost structure. I guess you could make a case that the entire for-profit healthcare system we stupidly put up with in this country is one big fraud but accusing people at Barton of some elaborate scam involving dozens of health professionals is beyond looney toons nonsense.
Hey Tahoe Pizza! What are you whinning about? A. This article is not meant to vent your dislike or distrust of a local hospital. B. If you don’t want to go to Barton, don’t. C. If you don’t want to use Flight For Life, don’t. D. If you don’t trust the doctors at Barton, go to med school and do it yourself. E. If you have real proof to back up your bold type, file a complaint with the DA. F. Sign up for the Flight For Life insurance policy.
Hey people. Hours ago I commented saying “I haven’t received any arguments that justify a $25,000 price tag.” You still haven’t come up with any, and you’ve had hours to try.
tahoe Pizza Eater,
Here’s a link to prices for these services: http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2013/01/03/2345205/helicopter-rescue-price-rates.html This is from an article from San Luis Obispo that I found in about 5 min. on the net when I first commented, I’m sure the rates are similar to those paid by Barton patients. As you can see the bill starts at 16K at lift-off and the meter starts running from there. It’s easy for anyone to see that 20-25K is a reachable charge for a trauma victim without any illegal conspiratorial help from the dedicated healthcare workers just doing their jobs. You obviously have 0 clue about actually “crunching numbers”.
No worries though, there’s a new story up about the Mo’s Place murder you speculated about before without knowing any real facts except what you read in the news.
TahoePizza. The cost of the Helicopter is about $4 million (monthly payments of say $65k). Add to that the cost of the medical equipment inside, maintenance on the equipment, round the clock staff and doctors, fuel, insurance on the helicopter, etc. Sounds pretty expensive to me, but hey, you could maybe do it better.
It sounds like an opportunity for you to compete with Flight for Life in the market. Make the investment (or get some investors together), by a helicopter and offer the service for $5000 per flight.
A helicopter that size doesn’t cost 4 million dollars. Your numbers are inflated. You better check the credibility of your sources.
B. B. you’re the first one that has done any credible research on the subject. But, I still question the validity of those charges. Just because pricing is similar in other cities, doesn’t justify the price. I can best use the example of gas prices over the past five years. The oil companies jacked up the price of gas beyond $4 a gallon, and the prices shocked people nation wide. We saw the gas prices all across the U.S. The gas prices were out of wack, and the oil companies reaped in record profits. These helicopter prices can be out of wack all across the country, just like when we saw it in gas prices.
But, despite all of this, I have been arguing in favor of getting a trauma center to eliminate all of this.
tahoe Pizza Eater,
My credible research took a couple minutes to prove that as usual you don’t know what you are talking about. Your attempts to continue this discussion about falsely accusing some of our local healthcare workers of fraud by talking some nonsense about gas prices is farcical. Give it up, you’re wrong. EOM
B.B. You said, ” The price starts at $16,000 at lift off, and the meter starts running from there.” Okay, we’ll use those numbers and watch what happens.
The price of the helicopter and equipment is set at $16,000. What must rise from there would be costs that arise from the paramedics, and the pilot. So, now we plug in $60 per hour for two paramedics. That number comes from a wage at $40 per hour, and employee benefits and other employee costs. Then charge $200 per hour for the pilot. You must consider the flight includes take off from base, pick up at hospital, transport to Reno, and return to base. The total time in the air is literally one hour. But we must add more time to consider time when placing patient into the helicopter, taking the patient out, and other time. They can complete the mission in two hours. Now we have paramedic costs at $240, and a pilot at $400. That’s it, the entire cost of the helicopter ride is $16,640. If you consider an additional hour, the price only rises $320, to $16,960. Now, we’ve just used your number applying to helicopter cost, and we’re not anywhere close to $25,000. If you plug in numbers representing higher paramedic costs and $300 per hour for a pilot, you only creep up slightly above $17,000. Now do you understand my point? I’m finished discussing this any further.
Pizza. Sounds like you have it figure out. Good luck with the new venture.
B.B. You said, ” The price starts at $16,000 at lift off, and the meter starts running from there.” Okay, we’ll use that number and watch what happens.
The price of the helicopter and equipment is set at $16,000. What must rise from there would be costs that arise from the paramedics, and the pilot. So, now we plug in $60 per hour for two paramedics. That number comes from a wage at $40 per hour, and employee benefits and other employee costs. Then charge $200 per hour for the pilot. You must consider the flight includes take off from base, pick up at hospital, transport to Reno, and return to base. The total time in the air is literally one hour. But we must add more time to consider time when placing patient into the helicopter, taking the patient out, and other time. They can complete the mission in two hours. Now we have paramedic costs at $240, and a pilot at $400. That’s it, the entire cost of the helicopter ride is $16,640. If you consider an additional hour, the price only rises $320, to $16,960. Now, we’ve just used your number applying to helicopter cost, and we’re not anywhere close to $25,000. If you plug in numbers representing higher paramedic costs and more for a pilot, you only creep up slightly above $17,000. Now do you understand my point? I’m finished discussing this any further.
Tpe, not even worth the time it takes to type this out…