A former West Virginia health official was sentenced Monday to one year of probation for lying about whether he reviewed vendor invoices from companies claiming to perform COVID-19 tests in the state. It was announced.
Timothy Priddy was sentenced in federal court after pleading guilty to making false statements to investigators.
An indictment filed in October said Priddy lied to federal officials in August 2022, saying he reviewed invoices from vendors to perform COVID-19 testing as part of a back-to-school program before approving them. was indicted for stating that. Prosecutors say Mr. Priddy knew his statements were false because he made no such effort to verify them.
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Priddy, 49, of Buffalo, West Virginia, faced up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Mr. Priddy held various management positions at the state Department of Public Health’s Threat Response Center and retired on the day the indictment was announced.
A former West Virginia health official has been found guilty of lying about whether he reviewed vendor invoices from companies claiming to perform the state’s COVID-19 tests. (Fox News)
According to prosecutors, federal investigators have determined that one or more providers of COVID-19 testing and mitigation services to the state overcharged or paid federal payments through the state Department of Health and Human Resources that they should not have received. He said he is investigating whether he has received any. Investigators focused on vendors who submitted invoices approved by Priddy for more than $34 million in payments.
According to prosecutors, the vendor reported the results of about 49,000 coronavirus tests between October 2020 and March 2022, but only reflected the cost of about 518,000 test kits. He said he submitted a bill. The indictment does not name the vendor, but it says the company is an out-of-state company that provided test kits and laboratory analyzes and hosted community testing events across West Virginia.
The indictment says vendors were required to report test results so authorities could get accurate information about the number of coronavirus cases and geographic hotspots.
The West Virginia Department of Health said its contract with the company ends in October 2022 and the department has fully cooperated with federal investigators.
U.S. Attorney Will Thompson said significant questions remain about the legitimacy of the vendor’s invoices, but there is no evidence that Priddy lied to protect the vendor or promote business. He said no.
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“Rather, it appears that Mr. Priddy lied to cover up his dereliction of duty,” Thompson said.
