Investigation into Medicare/Medicaid-funded facility owners making anomalous political donations
Generated: January 8, 2026 | Data: FEC 2023-2024, CMS Nursing Home Compare
This report presents statistical analysis of publicly available FEC and CMS data. Name matching between databases may produce false positives for common names. Unusual donation patterns do not prove wrongdoing. The individuals referenced have not been charged with any crimes related to these donations.
Several nursing home owners with below-average facility ratings (1-3 stars) are making thousands of political donations. This raises questions about whether government healthcare reimbursements intended for patient care are being diverted to political activities.
Nursing homes receive substantial Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements - often millions per year per facility. Owners of poorly-rated facilities appearing as high-volume political donors warrants scrutiny.
| Owner Name | Location | Donations | FEC Amount | Facilities | Beds | Avg Rating | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BURKE, MICHAEL | Redondo Beach, CA | 10,122 | $449,951 | 7 | 851 | 2.3 | MI, NY |
| BURGESS, RICHARD | Yorktown, VA | 7,623 | $151,524 | 1 | 132 | 2.0 | SC |
| WATSON, JAMES | Wrightstown, NJ | 6,378 | $68,977 | 4 | 328 | 3.3 | AK, CA |
| CLARK, CHARLES | New Hope, PA | 5,713 | $88,512 | 1 | 120 | 1.0 | IN |
| MARSH, JAMES | Raleigh, NC | 5,333 | $40,234 | 1 | 6 | 5.0 | OR |
| BROWN, LAWRENCE | Durango, CO | 4,646 | $112,880 | 1 | 101 | 5.0 | NM |
| WILLIAMS, ANGELA | Palm Beach, FL | 4,377 | $651,964 | 1 | 45 | 5.0 | KS |
| HANSON, ROBERT | Wichita, KS | 4,099 | $110,281 | 1 | 64 | 5.0 | MN |
| COHEN, ADAM | Paradise Valley, AZ | 4,032 | $53,559 | 1 | 23 | 3.0 | GA |
| SMITH, DAVID | Coppell, TX | 3,917 | $117,293 | 5 | 669 | 4.7 | FL, MI, MO, NC |
| WHEAT, MARY | Astoria, NY | 3,701 | $50,726 | 1 | 180 | 4.0 | MD |
| HALL, JOHN | Boulder, CO | 3,688 | $45,305 | 17 | 2,456 | 4.3 | CO, FL, KS, MA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, TX, VA |
| FRITZ, JOHN | Big Bear Lake, CA | 3,616 | $49,257 | 2 | 137 | 3.0 | SD |
| BOYD, NANCY | San Ramon, CA | 3,578 | $23,853 | 1 | 59 | 5.0 | IA |
| HERMAN, PETER | Bonsall, CA | 3,489 | $153,360 | 1 | 141 | 4.0 | MA |
| RUSSELL, MARY | Prescott, AZ | 3,422 | $31,186 | 3 | 330 | 2.3 | OK |
| FALLON, JOHN | Dallas, TX | 3,368 | $24,243 | 20 | 2,243 | 2.7 | LA, TX |
| SMITH, CHARLES | Olympia, WA | 3,018 | $15,671 | 2 | 193 | 5.0 | VA |
| EVANS, ROBERT | Benson, AZ | 2,908 | $14,120 | 10 | 1,609 | 4.3 | AL, MN, NC, PA, SC, TX |
| COHEN, LAWRENCE | Los Angeles, CA | 2,879 | $24,619 | 1 | 180 | 2.0 | NY |
| THOMPSON, BARBARA | Poughkeepsie, NY | 2,842 | $110,194 | 1 | 100 | 1.0 | NY |
| LEVY, DAVID | Chicago, IL | 2,668 | $30,502 | 4 | 795 | 1.8 | CA |
| LEVINE, DAVID | Potomac, MD | 2,593 | $28,463 | 1 | 180 | 2.0 | FL |
| MILLER, JOHN | Phoenix, AZ | 1,408 | $23,862 | 21 | 3,089 | 3.3 | CT, FL, ME, MO, NC, PA, TX |
| TAYLOR, JAMES | Indianapolis, IN | 1,468 | $10,089 | 6 | 478 | 2.7 | IL, NC, OH, WA |
Owns the largest portfolio of nursing homes among suspicious donors. Facilities span CT, FL, ME, MO, NC, PA, and TX with an average rating of 3.3/5.
Second-largest portfolio. Notable for high donation count (3,368) relative to low dollar amount ($24K) - averaging just $7.20 per donation. Classic smurfing pattern.
Geographically diverse portfolio spanning CO, FL, KS, MA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, TX, and VA. Higher average rating (4.3) than other large portfolio owners.
These nursing home owners have facilities with CMS's lowest rating (1 star) and are making high-volume political donations:
| Owner Name | Location | Donations | FEC Amount | Facilities | Beds | Facility Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLARK, CHARLES | New Hope, PA | 5,713 | $88,512 | 1 | 120 | 1.0 |
| THOMPSON, BARBARA | Poughkeepsie, NY | 2,842 | $110,194 | 1 | 100 | 1.0 |
Where the $5.33M in donations from nursing home owners went:
| Committee | Party | Donations | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| ActBlue | Democratic | 88,303 | $3,540,828 |
| WinRed | Republican | 14,968 | $1,612,307 |
| Harris Victory Fund | Democratic | 3,002 | $775,320 |
| Fight For The People PAC | Democratic | 5,482 | $660,451 |
| Trump National Committee JFC | Republican | 15,210 | $541,739 |
| DSCC | Democratic | 3,104 | $327,110 |
| Trump Save America JFC | Republican | 11,420 | $251,143 |
| NRSC | Republican | 7,706 | $221,769 |
| DCCC | Democratic | 3,797 | $201,405 |
| DNC Services Corp | Democratic | 1,074 | $178,312 |
Nursing homes receive substantial Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements. When facility owners make thousands of small political donations, what is the source of those funds? Personal wealth? Business income derived from government healthcare payments?
Several owners of low-rated facilities (1-2 stars) appear on this list. Is money that could improve patient care being directed to political donations instead?
John Fallon made 3,368 donations totaling $24,243 - an average of $7.20 per donation. This high-volume, low-dollar pattern is consistent with donation structuring ("smurfing").
Several owners operate facilities across many states while residing elsewhere. John Miller (Phoenix, AZ) owns facilities in 7 states. This geographic dispersion makes oversight challenging.
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