Despite facing financial difficulties and ultimately filing for bankruptcy, Steward Health Care is accused of spending exorbitant amounts of money on spying activities, hiring intelligence firms to monitor and harass detractors around the world. The methods used by Steward’s leadership reportedly read like a poorly crafted spy novel, with agents allegedly placing tracking devices on a financial analyst’s car, hacking into a healthcare executive’s phone for potential blackmail material, and circulating a fabricated wire transfer to implicate a politician. These damning revelations were brought to light through videos and documents obtained by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project and further investigated by the Boston Globe.
According to the report, executives at Steward prioritized payments for their intelligence-gathering operations over other financial obligations, including bills from vendors and suppliers. The monthly costs for these services soared to as high as $440,000, with Steward allocating over $7 million for espionage activities from 2019 to 2023. However, due to the international nature of the spying and fraud, it may prove challenging to hold those responsible accountable in a court of law.
The Boston Globe’s in-depth coverage delves into the details of Steward Health Care’s alleged misconduct, shedding light on the company’s controversial practices and raising questions about ethics and accountability within the healthcare industry.