CLEVELAND, Ohio — A former MetroHealth Medical Center manager is expected to be the first of 27 people charged in the wide-ranging Cuyahoga County corruption probe to plead not guilty, according to news reports.
Thomas J. Greco, 54, was charged Tuesday with taking bribes from a vice president of East-West Construction Co. in exchange for business with the hospital. Greco was the hospital’s director of facility services.
Greco’s attorney told the Plain Dealer his client would plead not guilty to the charges contained in the eight-count indictment. The lawyer, Jeff Kelleher, claimed that the FBI agents who arrested Greco at his home Tuesday morning treated the accused man “like an Arab terrorist,” according to the Plain Dealer.
Top 7 Modern AI-Powered EAP Providers for Global Workforces in 2026
Discover the top AI-powered EAP providers for 2026. Compare platforms like Kyan Health and Spring Health on triage speed, global reach, and clinical quality to transform workforce wellbeing.
Greco’s former boss, John Carroll, plead guilty to similar bribery charges in September and could be sentenced to up to 14 years in prison. Others charged in the probe worked out plea agreements with prosecutors.
Greco is charged with accepting a number of gifts from East-West Vice President Nilesh Patel between 2001 and 2008. The gifts included gift cards to such retailers as Giant Eagle, Home Depot and Applebee’s, plus landscaping, jewelery and other goods and services. Patel then was able to cover the cost of the gifts through inflated payments from MetroHealth to his firm. Patel has already plead guilty for his role in the scheme.
All told, losses to MetroHealth from the scheme by Carroll, Patel and Greco exceeded $600,000, prosecutors allege.