Lawrence (Kan.) Memorial Hospital terminated CFO Mike Rogers after about a month on the job after hospital staff discovered he was a convicted felon who changed his name last year.
On Oct. 26, hospital staff members discovered inconsistencies regarding Mr. Rogers' identity, according to an internal memo shared with Becker's by a hospital spokesperson. The following day it was discovered that he legally changed his name in October 2022 from his given name of Michael Patrick Brunton, a convicted felon.
"Rogers did not disclose these facts, nor did he accurately disclose his employment and felony records during the interviewing/onboarding process," the memo stated.
In 2005, the then-Mr. Brunton pleaded guilty in an Oklahoma federal court to one count of mail fraud for accepting a $3,775 check for college football tickets that did not exist, according to a March 2005 article from The Oklahoman. He was indicted on 15 counts of mail and wire fraud for a more than $80,000 scheme. Fourteen of the charges were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.
Two years later, he was reportedly charged with theft and extortion for allegedly misusing hospital credit while working as the CFO of a Louisiana hospital, The Lawrence Times reported Nov. 9.
Mr. Rogers was introduced as Lawrence Memorial Hospital's new CFO at a board of trustees meeting in late September, the Lawrence Journal World reported Sept. 27. He also reportedly did not disclose his criminal history when he was hired for that job.
Lawrence Memorial Hospital CEO Russ Johnson immediately placed Mr. Rogers on administrative leave after the discovery of his identity and his access to all systems and facilities was terminated, according to the memo. The hospital is conducting a root cause analysis to "identify any underlying factors related to our background checks and other hiring processes."
"LMH Health has strong financial protections and procedures in place, and as a result, our financial assets were never in jeopardy," the memo said. "Rogers had no administrative access nor control over our banking accounts. Early investigations show that no funds were lost during his time with us.
"We appreciate our staff members who reached out to administration when they learned of these inconsistencies. Their quick action allowed us to eliminate this threat before any damage occurred to our organization. For that, we are extremely grateful."