Massive Fraud, Bribery Scheme Uncovered at the West Los Angeles VA Facility

West Los Angeles VA Hospital 

Los Angeles, CA—The West Los Angeles VA Campus is huge.  It includes the hospital, cemetery, housing, historic church, offices, a regulation baseball diamond, basketball facility and a golf course.  There are lots of places to park cars for events.

Richard Scott, 58 owner of Westside Services LLC, was arrested at his Santa Monica Home.  He’s charged in a federal complaint with fraud against the U.S. by bilking taxpayers more than $11 million.  Scott has enjoyed a contract with the VA for at least 15 years in connection with car parking at the sprawling VA facility.

Hospital parking is managed by the VA Police and is not involved in this fraud. 

In an affidavit, federal agents alleged Scott made bribery payments to a yet to be named VA Official until that co-conspirator retired in 2014.  That unnamed official has been cooperating with investigators, obviously to mitigate his or her own prosecution and punishment. 

I can't help but wonder how many homeless veterans could have been housed for this kind of money?