Gov. Bobby Jindal’s former health secretary entered a not guilty plea today on charges that he lied when questioned about the award of a now-canceled $200 million Medicaid contract. Bruce Greenstein was indicted on nine counts of perjury, charges tied to his sworn testimony during a state Senate confirmation hearing and to a grand jury reviewing the state’s contract with Maryland-based Client Network Services Inc., known as CNSI.
The Jindal administration voided the 10-year Medicaid claims processing contract with CNSI in March 2013. Since then, it has accused Greenstein, a former CNSI vice president, of inappropriate contact with the company throughout the bid process.
Attorney John McLindon entered the not guilty plea on Greenstein’s behalf before Commissioner Quintillis Lawrence, who was sitting in for Judge Louis Daniel. Greenstein, who lives in Seattle, wasn’t in court for today’s hearing.
“It’s just travel. It’s a long way to say two words. It’s routine to do this. That’s nothing unique to this case,” McLindon tells The Associated Press.
McLindon says Greenstein didn’t lie in his testimony. Greenstein has denied that he tried to steer the contract to his former employer. CNSI has sued the state for wrongful termination in a civil lawsuit, saying it did nothing inappropriate to win the contract. McLindon says he expects the criminal case against Greenstein to take a year or more before it goes to trial. Read the full story.
