By News Service of Florida
• Jan 20, 2021
Credit WellCare Facebook
As part of a flurry of last-minute pardons and commutations, President Donald Trump granted pardons to five former executives of WellCare Health Plans who were convicted in a case involving allegations of defrauding Florida’s Medicaid program.
Trump pardoned former WellCare CEO and President Todd Farha, former General Counsel Thaddeus Bereday, former Chief Financial Officer Paul Behrens, former Vice President William Kale and former Vice President Peter Clay.
FBI agents raided WellCare s Tampa headquarters in 2007 as part of an investigation that included using an undercover informant. At least in part, the case involved allegations that WellCare deceived the state about how much money the company spent on behavioral-health services for Medicaid beneficiaries and did not refund money as required.
A Google engineer who stole 14,000 files of trade secrets on self-driving cars before going to work for Uber has been pardoned by President Trump.
Anthony Levandowski, 40, was sentenced to 18 months in prison last August for what a judge called the biggest trade secret crime I have ever seen , although he was not yet in custody.
He was one of 73 people pardoned by Trump on his final day in office, with the White House describing him as a brilliant engineer with talents needed by the country. Mr Levandowski has paid a significant price for his actions and plans to devote his talents to advance the public good, the White House said.