Former HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy maintains innocence ahead of press conference in Montgomery Thursday
Scrushy, who served nearly seven years in federal prison after being convicted in 2006, will hold a press conference in front of the Frank M. Johnson federal courthouse in Montgomery, the same courthouse he was convicted in.
In an interview with CBS 42, Scrushy said he would detail evidence that prosecutors in the case had lied to the judge about evidence that would have exonerated him.
'What they did was wrong,' Scrushy said.
Scrushy was riding high as the head of the multi-billion dollar HealthSouth until 2002, when the Securities and Exchange Commission began investigating him and his company following major stock sales and a $175 million shortfall the company had announced for that quarter. By 2003, he had been charged with 36 counts of fraud, making false corporate reports and making false statements. Scrushy was acquitted of the charges in Birmingham, but months later, a federal grand jury had indicted him on over 30 counts of money laundering, racketeering, extortion, bribery and obstruction of justice. The case also led to the downfall of the last Democrat to serve as governor of Alabama.
Specifically, Scrushy was accused of giving $500,000 to former Gov. Don Siegelman for an appointment to the state's certificate of need board. In 2007, Scrushy was found guilty on six counts of bribery, conspiracy to commit wire fraud while Siegelman was convicted on bribery and wire fraud charges, serving seven years in prison.
Scrushy was sentenced to nearly seven years in prison, but was released in 2012. He currently lives in Texas.
Today, the former CEO remains under legal scrutiny from his former company, now called Encompass Health, who has asked a court to find the $2.8 billion Scrushy was forced to pay them through restitution to its shareholders.
The press conference will begin at 11 a.m. Thursday,
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
12 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Visclosky leaves airport authority; Braun to name new chairman
Former U.S. Rep. Peter J. Visclosky has stepped down as chairman of the Gary/Chicago International Airport Authority, officials said during Friday's meeting in Gary. Visclosky did not attend the meeting. Former Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb appointed Visclosky authority chairman in 2022. A Gary Democrat, Visclosky left Congress in 2020 after 35 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, from Indiana's 1st District. By state law, the governor appoints the chairman of the authority. Visclosky's term doesn't expire until Jan. 31, 2026. His replacement hasn't been announced yet by Gov. Mike Braun. Tom Collins Jr., Porter County's representative on the authority, announced Visclosky's retirement at the end of the meeting. 'He came in with a mission,' Collins said of Visclosky. He said Visclosky helped negotiate a separation agreement with Avports/AFCO LLC, a private company that ran airport operations for eight years. Under Visclosky, the airport once again ran operations in-house under the leadership of executive director Dan Vicari, who was hired in January 2022. Collins credited Visclosky with upgrading the airport's accounting systems and correcting past audit issues. He said Visclosky also 'championed' the airport compact agreement with the city of Chicago and helped collect funding from Chicago. Collins said Visclosky continued to work with his successor, U.S. Rep. Frank J. Mrvan, D-Highland, toward airport improvements including a new hangar and a new $15 million cargo ramp. Authority member Millicent Lyles said she's never witnessed leadership as strong as Visclosky's. 'He didn't do that by being the biggest voice or the biggest ego. He did that by encouraging people to speak up and voice their own opinion,' she said. As the authority's lone woman member, Lyles said Visclosky helped build her confidence 'and that is something I will hold dearly,' she said. Authority member Trent McCain, who served as deputy mayor when Visclosky joined the board, said Visclosky often called the authority the first board he ever worked on. 'From day one, he was dedicated to learning the business and dedicated to moving the airport forward.' In other business, the board awarded a $15 million contract to Superior Construction, of Gary, to build a new cargo and general aviation concrete ramp on 8.5 acres on the airport's west end. Vicari called it the airport's biggest investment since its $174.1 million runway extension project in 2015. UPS, which leases space at the airport, will use the new ramp to expand its operations. It's now based at the airport's passenger terminal. Airport officials hope to attract more cargo business, in addition to UPS. Officials said work would begin in September and take about 120 days. Vicari said funding came from Mrvan's community projects fund and from former President Joe Biden's bipartisan infrastructure law. The airport's cost share is $300,000. The authority also approved a $258,354 contract with Frequentis USA Inc. for a new voice switch communications system for the airport's tower. Airport operations director Ken Cast said the old communications console dates back to 1988 and parts and support were no longer available. The authority approved a settlement agreement with the fixed-based operator Gary Jet Center related to the payment of landing fees in its lease. The settlement amount wasn't disclosed.
12 hours ago
House ethics panel tells Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to pay more for Met Gala attendance
WASHINGTON -- The House Ethics Committee on Friday told Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to make additional payments for her attendance at the 2021 Met Fashion Gala, where she drew attention for wearing a dress adorned with the message 'tax the rich." The ethics panel, which found the New York Democrat had underpaid for some of the services and clothing for the event, also issued reports Friday on unrelated ethics allegations against Reps. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick or Florida and Henry Cuellar of Texas. In a 31-page report on the allegations against Ocasio-Cortez, the Ethics Committee said she had tried to comply with House rules on accepting gifts but failed by 'impermissibly accepting a gift of free admission to the 2021 Met Gala for her partner and by failing to pay full fair market value for some of the items worn to the event.' As a guest of Vogue, Ocasio-Cortez and her partner received tickets to the gala valued at $35,000, as well as customized clothing, hair and makeup styling and a hotel room to prepare for the high-society event. The congresswoman worked with an attorney to comply with House ethics rules and paid for most of the goods and services with personal funds, but the ethics panel found "the payments were significantly delayed and some payments fell short of fair market value.' In a statement, Ocasio-Cortez's chief of staff, Mike Casca, said: 'The Congresswoman appreciates the Committee finding that she made efforts to ensure her compliance with House Rules and sought to act consistently with her ethical requirements as a Member of the House. She accepts the ruling and will remedy the remaining amounts, as she's done at each step in this process.' The House Ethics Committee issued a formal reproval Friday of Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., following a yearslong investigation into an insider-trading allegation over his wife's purchase of stock in a steel company in his Butler-area congressional district. The panel also said Kelly and his wife, Victoria Kelly, should divest of any stock in the company, Cleveland-Cliffs, before the congressman takes any further official actions related to it. While the committee said it 'did not find evidence' that Kelly 'knowingly or intentionally caused his spouse to trade based on insider information,' its report also said it 'did not receive full cooperation from Mrs. Kelly and was therefore unable to determine whether her stock purchase was improper.' However, the report said, 'Representative Kelly's failure to acknowledge the seriousness of the alleged misconduct' and of the investigation itself was a violation of the code of official conduct. The committee did 'not find a clear violation' of conflict of interest. The congressman said in a statement Friday, 'My family and I look forward to putting this distraction behind us." Kelly noted the investigation has 'unnecessarily' lasted for nearly five years, and in the time since the Cleveland Cliffs Butler Works plant faced an uncertain future. 'Throughout this process, I have fought for the 1,400 workers at the plant, I've spoken with these workers, and they appreciate the hard work we have done to fight for those jobs and for Butler,' Kelly said. The investigation was launched after a July 2021 referral regarding allegations the congressman's wife may have purchased stock based on confidential or nonpublic information he had learned during official duties. The Ethics Committee staff reviewed more than 25,000 pages of documents, the report said, and interviewed people including the congressman. It found Kelly had advocated for so-called Section 232 tariffs for the product the plant produced even after Mrs. Kelly held stock in Cleveland-Cliffs. 'He took several actions to specifically benefit Cleveland-Cliffs during the time his wife had a direct financial interest in the company,' it said. The House Ethics Committee announced Friday it had unanimously voted to reauthorize an investigative subcommittee to examine allegations involving Florida Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick. In May, the Office of Congressional Ethics referred several allegations to the House Ethics committee, including claims Cherfilus-McCormick, a Democrat, accepted campaign contributions tied to official actions and requested community project funding for a for-profit entity. The south Florida congresswoman has previously faced scrutiny over her campaign activities and the use of her congressional office. And earlier this year, a Florida state agency sued a company owned by her family, alleging it overcharged the state by nearly $5.8 million for pandemic-related work and has refused to return the funds. In a statement, Cherfilus-McCormick underscored that the ethics panel had not reached any final decision and that the further review does not mean she made any violations. 'I fully respect the process and remain committed to cooperating with the Committee as it works to bring this inquiry to a close,' she said. The House Ethics Committee also reauthorized its investigation into Rep. Henry Cuellar over whether he engaged in multiple illegal abuses of his office. The committee launched its investigation into the Texas Democrat last year after the Justice Department indicted Cuellar on numerous federal charges, including bribery, conspiracy and money laundering. The committee said in its reauthorization that lawmakers are 'aware of the risks associated with dual investigations' and cautioned that 'the mere fact of an investigation into these allegations does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred.'
Boston Globe
14 hours ago
- Boston Globe
In Epstein furor, Trump struggles to shake off a controversy his allies once stoked
It was another example of how the Epstein saga — and his administration's disjointed approach to it — has shadowed Trump when he's otherwise at the height of his influence. He's enacted a vast legislative agenda, reached trade deals with key countries and tightened his grip across the federal government. Yet he's struggled to stamp out the embers of a political crisis that could become a full-on conflagration. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Trump faces pressure from his own supporters Advertisement The Republican president's supporters want the government to release secret files about Epstein, who authorities say killed himself in his New York jail cell six years ago while awaiting trial for sex trafficking. They believe him to be the nexus of a dark web of powerful people who abused underage girls. Administration officials who once stoked conspiracy theories now insist there's nothing more to disclose, a stance that has stirred skepticism because of Trump's former friendship with Epstein. Advertisement Trump has repeatedly denied prior knowledge of Epstein's crimes and claimed he cut off their relationship long ago. For a president skilled at manipulating the media and controlling the Republican Party, it has been the most challenging test of his ability to shift the conversation in his second term. 'This is a treadmill to nowhere. How do you get off of it?' said Kevin Madden, a Republican strategist. 'I genuinely don't know the answer to that.' Trump has demanded his supporters drop the matter and urged Republicans to block Democratic requests for documents on Capitol Hill. But he has also directed the Justice Department to divulge some additional information in hopes of satisfying his supporters. A White House official, who insisted on anonymity to discuss internal strategy, said Trump is trying to stay focused on his agenda while also demonstrating some transparency. After facing countless scandals and investigations, the official said, Trump is on guard against the typical playbook of drip-drip disclosures that have plagued him in the past. It's clear Trump sees the Epstein case as a continuation of the 'witch hunts' he's faced over the years, starting with the investigation into Russian interference during his election victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton nearly a decade ago. The sprawling inquiry led to convictions against some top advisers but did not substantiate allegations Trump conspired with Moscow. Trump's opponents, he wrote on social media on Thursday, 'have gone absolutely CRAZY, and are playing another Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax but, this time, under the guise of what we will call the Jeffrey Epstein SCAM.' During the Russia investigation, special counsel Robert Mueller and his team of prosecutors were a straightforward foil for Trump to rail against. Ty Cobb, the lawyer who served as the White House's point person, said the president 'never felt exposed' because 'he thought he had a legitimate gripe.' Advertisement The situation is different this time now that the Justice Department has been stocked with loyalists. 'The people that he has to get mad at are basically his people as opposed to his inquisitors and adversaries,' Cobb said. It was Trump's allies who excavated the Epstein debacle In fact, Trump's own officials are the most responsible for bringing the Epstein case back to the forefront. FBI Director Kash Patel and his deputy, Dan Bongino, regularly stoked conspiracy theories about Epstein before assuming their current jobs, floating the idea the government had covered up incriminating and compelling information that needed to be brought to light. 'Put on your big boy pants and let us know who the pedophiles are,' Patel said in a 2023 podcast. Attorney General Pam Bondi played a key role, too. She intimated in a Fox News Channel interview in February that an Epstein 'client list' was sitting on her desk for review — she would later say she was referring to the Epstein files more generally — and greeted far-right influencers with binders of records from the case that consisted largely of information already in the public domain. Tensions spiked earlier this month when the FBI and the Justice Department, in an unsigned two-page letter, said that no client list existed, that the evidence was clear Epstein had killed himself and that no additional records from the case would be released to the public. It was a seeming backtrack on the administration's stated commitment to transparency. Amid a fierce backlash from Trump's base and influential conservative personalities, Bongino and Bondi squabbled openly in a tense White House meeting. Advertisement Since then, the Trump administration has scrambled to appear transparent, including by seeking the unsealing of grand jury transcripts in the case — though it's hardly clear that courts would grant that request or that those records include any eye-catching details anyway. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has taken the unusual step of interviewing the imprisoned Maxwell over the course of two days at a courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida, where her lawyer said she would 'always testify truthfully.' All the while, Trump and his allies have resurfaced the Russia investigation as a rallying cry for a political base that has otherwise been frustrated by the Epstein saga. Trump's director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, who just weeks ago appeared on the outs with Trump over comments on Iran's nuclear ambitions, seemed to return to the president's good graces this week following the declassification and release of years-old documents she hoped would discredit long-settled conclusions about Russian interference in the 2016 election. The developments allowed Trump to rehash longstanding grievances against President Barack Obama and his Democratic advisers. Trump's talk of investigations into perceived adversaries from years ago let him, in effect, go back in time to deflect attention from a very current crisis. 'Whether it's right or wrong,' Trump said, 'it's time to go after people.'
