The former CEO of Pine Ridge (S.D.) Hospital is expected to plead guilty in March to making a false statement about accepting money from a former staff physician accused of sexually abusing children during a 13-year period, according to the Rapid City Journal.
Here are six things to know about the case.
1. Wehnona Stabler, 60, the former chief executive of the 45-bed hospital, was indicted in July 2017 on charges of making a false statement on a 2014 disclosure report. Federal prosecutors claim Ms. Stabler did not report receiving $5,000 from Stanley Weber, MD, a former physician at the hospital.
2. Ms. Stabler reportedly admitted to the allegations in a statement of facts dated Feb. 2, the same day she entered into a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office, the report states.
3. As chief executive of Pine Ridge Hospital, which is owned and operated by the federal Indian Health Services, Ms. Stabler is required under law to complete a confidential financial disclosure report and is required to document monetary gifts equating to $350 or more.
4. If found guilty, Ms. Stabler may face up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and/or a $250,000 fine. However, as part of her plea agreement, the U.S. Attorney's Office agreed to recommend probation for as long as the court deems appropriate, according to the report.
5. Ms. Stabler is currently out on bond. Her plea-change hearing is scheduled for March 9.
6. Former physician Dr. Weber, 69, was charged last February with multiple counts of child sex crimes between 1998 and 2011, including aggravated sexual abuse, according to the report. He reportedly resigned from Pine Ridge Hospital in 2016. Court documents do not disclose Dr. Weber's reason for paying Ms. Stabler $5,000, the report states.