Gosses sentenced to prison in Preferred Healthcare bribery and kickback saga

Bontiea Goss and Tommy Goss on Monday (April 29) were sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a multimillion-dollar public corruption scheme that involved embezzlement and bribes paid to multiple elected public officials in Arkansas.

Bontiea Goss, 65, was sentenced to three years in prison, and her husband, Tommy Goss, 68, was sentenced to six years in prison. They also were ordered to jointly pay $4.35 million in forfeiture and restitution.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Bontiea and Tom were the former chief operating officer and chief financial officer, respectively, at Preferred Family Healthcare, a charity that provided services to individuals in Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Illinois. Some of these services included mental and behavioral health treatment and counseling, substance abuse treatment and counseling, employment assistance, aid to individuals with developmental disabilities, and medical services.

In exchange for the bribes and kickbacks offered and paid by the Gosses and their co-conspirators, elected state officials in Arkansas provided favorable legislative and official action for the charity, including influencing legislation that would benefit Preferred Healthcare through direct state funding.

In September 2022, the pair pleaded guilty to conspiracy to pay bribes and kickbacks to elected officials in Arkansas. Tom Goss also pleaded guilty to participating in the conspiracy by embezzling funds from the charity and to one count of aiding and assisting in the preparation and presentation of a false tax return.

In 2022, Preferred Family Healthcare agreed to pay more than $8 million in forfeiture and restitution to the federal government and Arkansas under the terms of a non-prosecution agreement, which acknowledged the criminal conduct of its former officers and employees.

Following are other individuals involved in the bribery and kickback scheme.
• Former CEO Marilyn Luann Nolan, of Springfield, Mo., pleaded guilty in November 2018 to her role in a conspiracy to embezzle and misapply the funds of a charitable organization that received federal funds.

• Former Director of Operations and Executive Vice President Robin Raveendran, of Little Rock, pleaded guilty in June 2019 to conspiracy to commit bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds.

• Former Executive and Head of Clinical Operations Keith Fraser Noble, of Rogersville, Mo., pleaded guilty in September 2019 to concealment of a known felony.

• Former employee and Head of Operations and Lobbying in Arkansas Milton Russell Cranford, also known as Rusty, of Rogers, Ark., was sentenced to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of federal program bribery.

• Political consultant Donald Andrew Jones, also known as D.A. Jones, of Willingboro, N.J., pleaded guilty in December 2017 to his role in a conspiracy from April 2011 to January 2017 to steal from an organization that receives federal funds.

• Former Arkansas Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson, R-Little Rock, pursuant to a global plea agreement, pleaded guilty on June 25, 2019 in the Eastern District of Arkansas to filing a false tax return; pleaded guilty on June 25, 2019, to an information filed in the Western District of Arkansas to conspiracy to commit federal program bribery; and pleaded guilty in the Western District of Missouri on July 8, 2019, to conspiracy to commit federal program bribery. Hutchinson was sentenced to eight years in prison.

• Former Arkansas Rep. Eddie Wayne Cooper, D-Melbourne, pleaded guilty in February 2018 to conspiracy to embezzle more than $4 million from Preferred Family Healthcare.

• Former Arkansas State Senator and State Representative Henry “Hank” Wilkins IV, D-Pine Bluff, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit federal program bribery and devising a scheme and artifice to defraud and deprive the citizens of the State of Arkansas of their right to honest services. Wilkins was sentenced to one year and one day in prison.