Ex-hospital employee found guilty of theft

6/15/2010

One of two men charged with orchestrating a scheme that resulted in the theft of nearly $150,000 from Toledo Hospital entered a plea in Lucas County Common Pleas Court Tuesday.

Leonard P. Gorski, 55, pleaded no contest to aggravated theft, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. He was convicted of creating fraudulent billings to the hospital between May, 2002 and July, 2004.

Judge James Bates set an Aug. 3 sentencing date.

Gorski was found guilty of orchestrating a scheme with his co-defendant in which John Briggle's printing company billed the hospital for about $150,000 worth of supplies and services that were not delivered. Gorski worked as a manager in the hospital's print shop until 2004.

Mr. Briggle, whose trial date was rescheduled to Aug. 17, has pleaded guilty in Cuyahoga County in an unrelated case involving the alleged embezzlement of money from Cleveland Public Schools with a co-defendant, Dan Burns. The scheme is similar to one investigators believe occurred at Toledo Public Schools, also allegedly involving Mr. Briggle and Mr. Burns, a former TPS administrator.

In that case, in excess of $500,000 is believed to have been stolen from the school district. No charges have yet been filed in that case.