Face of Nation : A former Veterans Affairs pathologist fired for being intoxicated on the job was charged with three counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with “incorrect and misleading diagnoses” he made, federal prosecutors in Arkansas said Tuesday.
Robert Morris Levy was indicted by a federal grand jury and faces additional charges of fraud and making false statements. Prosecutors said he is in custody.
Levy allegedly not only lied about his alcohol use and manipulated mandatory alcohol and drug tests, but he also falsified patient records that ultimately caused the veterans’ deaths, a federal investigation found.
“These charges send a clear signal that anyone entrusted with the care of veterans will be held accountable for placing them at risk by working while impaired or through other misconduct,” VA inspector general Michael Missal said in statement.For three patients, Levy allegedly entered “incorrect and misleading diagnoses,” and in two of those cases, he falsely stated that a second pathologist confirmed a diagnosis he had made.
Levy worked as the chief of pathology at the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks, a VA hospital in Fayetteville, Arkansas, from 2005 until he was fired in 2018.
Levy pleaded not guilty at a hearing Tuesday and had not obtained counsel to represent him, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said an administrative review began in 2015 after Levy was accused of being drunk on the job, which he denied. In 2016, a drug test found that Levy was at work with alcohol in his system, which he acknowledged.
