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Proposed restitution vs Melvin Ada reaches $2.3M
The U.S. Probation has proposed over $500,000 in restitution it wants former Commonwealth Health Center employee Melvin G. Ada to pay for swindling the hospital of over $1.7 million. With the plea agreement proposing an original amount of $1,796,441 in restitution, this would boost the total recommended restitution to $2.3 million.
Due to the over $500,000 increase and other changes, the U.S. government and Ada’s counsel, Colin M. Thompson, agreed yesterday to ask the federal court to postpone Ada’s sentencing, which is currently set for today, Friday.
In their joint request, Thompson and assistant U.S. attorney Garth Backe said they want a short postponement because they need more time to review significant changes made in the final presentence investigation report filed by the U.S. Probation Office.
Backe and Thompson cited that Ada’s advisory sentencing guideline range is now twice what it was in the initial presentence investigation report.
Furthermore, the lawyers said, the proposed amount of restitution owed by Ada was increased by over $500,000.
“Additional time will thus allow the parties to evaluate the changes and decide what evidence, if any, they need to present in response,” they said.
U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona postponed the sentencing to Nov. 17, 2015.
Ada pleaded guilty in October 2013 to 56 charges for misusing over $1.7 million intended as payment for a medical supplier company. The original sentencing date was March 7, 2014.
Ada is a former medical supply specialist at CHC. His wife, Leyda, used to be a sales representative for Midwest Medical Supply Co. Inc., a Missouri-based company that had supplied dialysis consumables and equipment to CHC.
Last June 26, a federal jury acquitted Leyda Ada of the charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering, but found her guilty of perjury, which has a maximum prison term of five years. Leyda Ada will be sentenced on Nov. 13, 2015.
