By Associated Press
Tuscaloosa AL – A Tuscaloosa doctor goes on trial again tomorrow (Thursday) on Medicaid fraud charges in a case that raised questions about ethics in the administration of former Governor Don Siegelman, who has since been convicted and imprisoned on unrelated charges.
A federal jury convicted Phillip Bobo in 2001 of rigging bids on state Medicaid contracts to provide medical care for poor pregnant women in west Alabama, but the defense won an appeal. The case preceded the probe that resulted in charges against Siegelman and former HealthSouth C-E-O Richard Scrushy.
Federal prosecutors claim Bobo conspired to obtain 550 thousand dollars in state funds to pay off a competitor for Medicaid contracts in 1999. The competitor went to authorities.
Bobo argues he did nothing wrong.
The Bobo case also focused attention on the Alabama Fire College. The subsequent federal investigation has resulted in convictions and resignations within the state's two-year colleges.