1 00:00:00,720 --> 00:00:05,040 In this episode of American Greed, it's one of the largest art thefts in the 2 00:00:05,040 --> 00:00:05,999 United States. 3 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:10,180 There was wall -to -wall artwork, sculptures, paintings, prints, drawings. 4 00:00:11,340 --> 00:00:13,960 Four million dollars of fine art vanishes. 5 00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:16,560 The Rothko was worth the most. 6 00:00:16,860 --> 00:00:17,860 Picasso print. 7 00:00:17,900 --> 00:00:23,200 This is the golden egg. Now, the thief tells all. I looked at Byron, I said, 8 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:27,660 know, we'll either be princes or prisoners, you know, if this thing goes 9 00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:29,580 And later, in Cleveland... 10 00:00:29,980 --> 00:00:33,400 A doctor is a hypocrite with a Hippocratic Oath. What is he doing? 11 00:00:33,600 --> 00:00:34,600 It's a really big disgrace. 12 00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:36,720 Giving painful, dangerous injections. 13 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:41,180 Oh, this is just awful. On a multi -million dollar fraud scheme that ends 14 00:00:41,180 --> 00:00:44,020 death. I lost my best friend. I lost my husband. 15 00:01:04,170 --> 00:01:08,270 I had a lot of artists say that it chooses you, you don't choose it, and I 16 00:01:08,270 --> 00:01:10,070 I was always pretty much going to be an artist. 17 00:01:10,690 --> 00:01:12,330 This is Donald Rash. 18 00:01:14,030 --> 00:01:19,030 Art lover, painter, and convicted felon. 19 00:01:19,530 --> 00:01:23,050 Well, it was definitely the passion for the works, passion for the artwork. 20 00:01:23,950 --> 00:01:27,830 Rash is the man behind one of the largest art thefts in the United States, 21 00:01:28,170 --> 00:01:32,150 conspiring to rip off more than 130 pieces of fine art. 22 00:01:33,120 --> 00:01:37,740 Rash says it was a crime of passion, motivated by his love for art. 23 00:01:37,980 --> 00:01:42,760 I wanted to keep them and to have them and to be able to see those beautiful 24 00:01:42,760 --> 00:01:44,860 works by great masters of modern art. 25 00:01:45,240 --> 00:01:52,240 For more than two years, Rash got away with it. That is, until 2004, when a 26 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:57,140 private eye named James Anterio rolled onto the scene and picked up the case. 27 00:01:57,690 --> 00:02:04,410 I was hired by clients to try and track down several very expensive pieces of 28 00:02:04,410 --> 00:02:06,790 artwork that was stolen from them. 29 00:02:08,310 --> 00:02:12,750 Ontario's clients, David and Diane Harder, are a Florida couple who spent 30 00:02:12,750 --> 00:02:14,290 decades building their collection. 31 00:02:14,830 --> 00:02:21,530 Among their treasures, a Picasso, works by Henri Matisse, and a 1968 Rothko. 32 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:25,920 Museum -quality pieces valued at more than $4 million. 33 00:02:26,340 --> 00:02:32,960 It was a large collection of artwork, she said, that was being stored in the 34 00:02:33,060 --> 00:02:34,060 Louis area. 35 00:02:34,700 --> 00:02:39,160 The Harters stored their art here at Fine Arts Express. 36 00:02:39,460 --> 00:02:42,400 And for eight years, their artwork was safe. 37 00:02:44,360 --> 00:02:49,780 But then, in October of 2004, the Harters received a letter informing them 38 00:02:49,780 --> 00:02:51,460 their art had been stolen. 39 00:02:51,800 --> 00:02:57,960 They had received a letter from an attorney out of the St. Louis area. 40 00:02:58,220 --> 00:03:02,920 He's pretty much saying, I have a client that thinks he has some of your artwork 41 00:03:02,920 --> 00:03:05,380 that might be stolen, but I'm not going to give up his name. 42 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:09,380 The Harders called authorities but couldn't get any answers. 43 00:03:11,060 --> 00:03:15,720 Ultimately, they turned to James Anterio and asked the investigator to work the 44 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:19,940 case. It's a lot of times looking for a needle in a haystack. 45 00:03:21,320 --> 00:03:26,300 The next day, Anterio and his partner hop a plane to St. Louis and hit the 46 00:03:26,300 --> 00:03:31,800 street. This attorney has a client out there that potentially has some of this 47 00:03:31,800 --> 00:03:37,280 artwork. We started at the attorney's building. This is where Gregory White, 48 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:39,020 attorney, has an office. 49 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:44,300 Anterio stakes out the building and searches for clues as to the identity of 50 00:03:44,300 --> 00:03:45,300 attorney's client. 51 00:03:45,960 --> 00:03:48,160 We did surveillance on the attorney. 52 00:03:48,440 --> 00:03:53,360 We did surveillance on the attorney's office. We did a lot of trash diving, 53 00:03:53,500 --> 00:03:57,960 dumpster diving, we call it. Put our latex gloves on and dig through garbage. 54 00:03:58,280 --> 00:04:02,620 The dirty work pays off when Ontario digs out a slip of paper containing the 55 00:04:02,620 --> 00:04:08,380 name Stuart Slavin. We came across the name along with a couple of the pieces 56 00:04:08,380 --> 00:04:13,820 artwork that he either had purchased or was trying to purchase on a handwritten 57 00:04:13,820 --> 00:04:17,300 sheet of paper. type of paper and just discard it. 58 00:04:17,920 --> 00:04:20,620 It's a name that has been in front of Ontario all along. 59 00:04:21,620 --> 00:04:25,800 Stuart Slavin is a local real estate broker who owns the office building. 60 00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:28,860 It was like a puzzle. It fit together and you've got to go and try and follow 61 00:04:28,860 --> 00:04:29,759 that lead. 62 00:04:29,760 --> 00:04:34,160 You've got to go and see who this is and does he have pieces? 63 00:04:36,280 --> 00:04:42,600 On October 20th, Ontario heads to Ladue, a city known for big houses and big 64 00:04:42,600 --> 00:04:43,600 bank accounts. 65 00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:51,000 Just after 2 a .m., Ontario rolls down Fordyce Lane and scopes out Slavin's 66 00:04:51,000 --> 00:04:52,000 Mansion. 67 00:04:52,500 --> 00:04:53,860 We dressed in all black. 68 00:04:54,320 --> 00:04:57,940 We're doing visual. We're doing binoculars. We're doing night vision. 69 00:04:58,580 --> 00:05:00,820 We're doing all the tricks of the trade. 70 00:05:01,840 --> 00:05:03,720 Suddenly, Ontario catches a break. 71 00:05:04,060 --> 00:05:08,160 My partner, he was looking through a night vision scope, and I remember him 72 00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:11,000 grabbing my arm and saying, oh, my gosh. 73 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:14,600 There it is. There it is. And I'm like, what? And he goes, there's one of the 74 00:05:14,600 --> 00:05:15,600 photographs. 75 00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:20,880 Hanging on a wall in plain view is the Harters' William de Kooning painting and 76 00:05:20,880 --> 00:05:22,280 a Richard Diepenkorn drawing. 77 00:05:22,960 --> 00:05:25,660 Below that, the Archipenko sculptor. 78 00:05:26,040 --> 00:05:29,380 Together, the pieces are valued at nearly half a million dollars. 79 00:05:29,820 --> 00:05:34,720 This is going to be the first domino of many dominoes now falling. 80 00:05:35,210 --> 00:05:40,730 You find that first piece, and then usually things just start falling into 81 00:05:40,730 --> 00:05:41,730 after that. 82 00:05:41,750 --> 00:05:45,710 And Terrio knows that he's on to something big, so he takes the case to 83 00:05:45,710 --> 00:05:46,930 Bridgeton Police Department. 84 00:05:47,210 --> 00:05:50,330 We operate under the Army theory, adapt, improvise, and overcome. 85 00:05:50,810 --> 00:05:53,050 All you need is good people, and you can do anything. 86 00:05:53,770 --> 00:05:56,070 Detective Lance Harris takes the case. 87 00:05:56,990 --> 00:06:03,190 Normally I work crimes against persons, which is all the serious assaults, the 88 00:06:03,190 --> 00:06:05,520 robberies. the rapes, and the murders. 89 00:06:05,780 --> 00:06:07,580 This is the Willem de Kooning painting. 90 00:06:08,500 --> 00:06:13,100 Supposedly, that's a nude woman, and allegedly, it's Marilyn Monroe. 91 00:06:14,080 --> 00:06:18,240 Slavin was a fairly well -known art collector in the area, so it didn't 92 00:06:18,240 --> 00:06:21,420 me that he would have these, but I didn't think Slavin was a thief. 93 00:06:21,820 --> 00:06:25,720 It's Alexander Arkopenko, a statue. 94 00:06:26,360 --> 00:06:30,820 Harris examines the photos and files for a search warrant to recover the stolen 95 00:06:30,820 --> 00:06:31,820 property. 96 00:06:32,800 --> 00:06:38,500 Meanwhile, with more than 130 pieces of art still missing, Ontario takes a new 97 00:06:38,500 --> 00:06:40,840 approach. Might have been under art. 98 00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:45,980 I went back to the hotel that we were staying at. I asked the front desk for a 99 00:06:45,980 --> 00:06:50,780 yellow page book, and I turned to the art gallery, and I chose three of them. 100 00:06:52,100 --> 00:06:54,720 Ontario visits two galleries with no luck. 101 00:06:55,800 --> 00:07:00,340 Then he sets his sights on Codner Gallery, and everything changes. 102 00:07:01,200 --> 00:07:05,220 I know I looked out of place because I walked in, I was in cargo shorts, and it 103 00:07:05,220 --> 00:07:06,660 was about 30 degrees out. 104 00:07:07,400 --> 00:07:10,880 I had my sunglasses on, a little black binder filled with artwork. 105 00:07:11,500 --> 00:07:16,660 Just after 2 p .m., Ontario meets Jonathan Codner, the co -owner of the 106 00:07:16,880 --> 00:07:19,880 and hands him a binder filled with images of stolen art. 107 00:07:20,120 --> 00:07:24,700 So he opened the book, and the first one he turned to was the Rothko, the Mark 108 00:07:24,700 --> 00:07:28,160 Rothko. Mark Rothko is a world -renowned abstract artist. 109 00:07:28,720 --> 00:07:32,040 One of his works recently sold at auction for $72 million. 110 00:07:32,660 --> 00:07:36,560 He's known for his works using bold, horizontal swaths of color. 111 00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:41,160 I started breathing real hard, and then I knew. I knew that I had hit on 112 00:07:41,160 --> 00:07:42,960 something, but I just didn't know what. 113 00:07:43,700 --> 00:07:46,220 Jonathan Podner knows this Rothko well. 114 00:07:46,620 --> 00:07:51,060 One year earlier, he purchased the painting, along with seven other pieces 115 00:07:51,060 --> 00:07:52,960 art, from an old family acquaintance. 116 00:07:53,260 --> 00:07:57,300 He was like, oh my God. I said, I told you, I'm a private detective. This is 117 00:07:57,300 --> 00:07:58,300 stolen art. 118 00:07:58,480 --> 00:08:03,360 But he was almost starting to cry and hyperventilating. I said, calm down, 119 00:08:03,360 --> 00:08:07,500 down. And he was like, oh, my God, I know I shouldn't have trusted him. I 120 00:08:07,500 --> 00:08:09,580 shouldn't have trusted Valir. Byron Valir. 121 00:08:11,000 --> 00:08:15,540 Byron Valir is a man from a wealthy St. Louis family and a former manager at 122 00:08:15,540 --> 00:08:16,540 Fine Arts Express. 123 00:08:17,600 --> 00:08:22,020 Two years earlier, Valir told the Codners that his wife inherited more 124 00:08:22,020 --> 00:08:23,240 pieces of fine art. 125 00:08:24,440 --> 00:08:25,980 The Codners did their homework. 126 00:08:26,350 --> 00:08:28,870 and searched the global databases of stolen art. 127 00:08:29,750 --> 00:08:33,750 When everything checked out, they snapped up seven paintings, never 128 00:08:33,750 --> 00:08:35,289 were actually stolen pieces. 129 00:08:36,409 --> 00:08:40,409 Now investigators have a break, and the name of a suspect will ultimately lead 130 00:08:40,409 --> 00:08:43,110 them to more than a million dollars in stolen art. 131 00:08:43,390 --> 00:08:47,250 He had 70 pieces of art, so I thought it would be a lot, but it was pretty 132 00:08:47,250 --> 00:08:51,610 impressive. I mean, there was a lot of art there, and it packed one of the 133 00:08:51,610 --> 00:08:55,090 conference rooms of the art office. I mean, it was everywhere. 134 00:09:13,160 --> 00:09:19,220 In 2002, art thieves strike hard in St. Louis, Missouri, and make off with more 135 00:09:19,220 --> 00:09:21,300 than $4 million of fine art. 136 00:09:21,700 --> 00:09:25,820 Hardworking people that put their hard -earned money into a collection of 137 00:09:25,820 --> 00:09:29,600 something that they love and just have it ripped from underneath them. You 138 00:09:29,640 --> 00:09:32,980 it's a sad situation, very sad. 139 00:09:33,540 --> 00:09:38,440 James Anterio is a private investigator, hot on the trail of more than 130 140 00:09:38,440 --> 00:09:40,100 pieces of stolen art. 141 00:09:41,320 --> 00:09:46,320 After 16 days on the case, he's tracked down about a million dollars worth of 142 00:09:46,320 --> 00:09:49,920 stolen art and ID'd a suspect named Byron Valier. 143 00:09:50,260 --> 00:09:54,560 In the meantime, Detective Lance Harris obtains a search warrant for Stuart 144 00:09:54,560 --> 00:09:59,260 Slavin's home, the home where Ontario spotted three stolen pieces of art. 145 00:10:00,060 --> 00:10:04,440 We saw three or four detective vehicles come with a big U -Haul. 146 00:10:05,440 --> 00:10:09,480 I would say there was a good six to eight detectives. 147 00:10:10,480 --> 00:10:16,600 On November 2nd, 2004, a team of detectives enter Slavin's house and 148 00:10:16,600 --> 00:10:18,040 the artworks one by one. 149 00:10:18,960 --> 00:10:23,960 The de Kooning, the Art of Penco, and the Deacon Corps. 150 00:10:25,120 --> 00:10:26,720 But then there is more. 151 00:10:27,240 --> 00:10:30,280 We're excited about the three because we knew that there was going to be three. 152 00:10:30,340 --> 00:10:34,740 And they're bringing more out and we're like hugging each other in the car. 153 00:10:35,910 --> 00:10:39,990 At the end of the day, detectives recover eight pieces of stolen art. 154 00:10:41,470 --> 00:10:43,510 And they also get another name. 155 00:10:44,170 --> 00:10:47,570 I told me about him from a guy named Donald Rash. 156 00:10:49,890 --> 00:10:52,070 That's who he bought it from. I figured that's who stole it, yeah. 157 00:10:52,290 --> 00:10:56,550 Donald Rash, like Byron Valier, used to work at Fine Arts Express. 158 00:10:57,070 --> 00:11:01,730 According to Slavin, Rash fabricated a story and conned him into believing he 159 00:11:01,730 --> 00:11:03,030 had inherited the art. 160 00:11:03,340 --> 00:11:04,219 I think Mr. 161 00:11:04,220 --> 00:11:10,140 Slater was looking for a good deal, but I don't think he had any knowledge or 162 00:11:10,140 --> 00:11:11,960 any complicity in the theft at all. 163 00:11:14,040 --> 00:11:16,420 This is a painting by Michael Lucas. 164 00:11:16,820 --> 00:11:21,480 Tony Slater worked with Donald Rash and Byron Valier at Fine Arts Express for a 165 00:11:21,480 --> 00:11:22,480 year and a half. 166 00:11:23,480 --> 00:11:29,220 This Madonna and Child after Raphael is by Kevin Winters. And word of the theft 167 00:11:29,220 --> 00:11:31,220 hits hard for Slater. Yeah. 168 00:11:31,800 --> 00:11:32,980 Of course it made me mad. 169 00:11:33,500 --> 00:11:37,260 I've protected art all my life, or all my adult life. 170 00:11:37,980 --> 00:11:43,020 It inspires me. It delights me. It's fun to look at. 171 00:11:43,320 --> 00:11:44,860 It records history. 172 00:11:45,480 --> 00:11:48,220 It's just part of us. 173 00:11:50,140 --> 00:11:53,440 Slater says a theft at the warehouse wouldn't be hard to pull off. 174 00:11:54,020 --> 00:11:59,300 It would have been very easy because there is no security whatsoever. 175 00:12:00,460 --> 00:12:03,960 You could come in and turn off the alarm and take whatever you want. 176 00:12:04,940 --> 00:12:09,820 Slater remembers Fine Arts Express as a poorly run business where art was 177 00:12:09,820 --> 00:12:10,900 secondary to profits. 178 00:12:11,480 --> 00:12:16,660 The loading dock doors were open when it was 10 degrees outside. They were open 179 00:12:16,660 --> 00:12:18,200 when it was 100 degrees outside. 180 00:12:18,920 --> 00:12:22,420 I've seen all kinds of really bad handling techniques. 181 00:12:23,880 --> 00:12:26,420 It was all about making money fast. 182 00:12:27,210 --> 00:12:30,710 And according to Schlater, the Lear and Rash were part of the problem. 183 00:12:30,990 --> 00:12:36,670 When Bridgton police called me, I put Don together right away with it. 184 00:12:37,050 --> 00:12:39,650 Now, Byron was a surprise. 185 00:12:40,710 --> 00:12:47,370 Don was a scrounger, a player, you know, always trying to get rich 186 00:12:47,370 --> 00:12:48,370 quick scheme. 187 00:12:49,130 --> 00:12:53,050 He was kind of undependable, and I think he drank a lot. 188 00:12:53,900 --> 00:13:00,380 And Byron was just lazy and was mad that he had to work at all and couldn't lay 189 00:13:00,380 --> 00:13:01,480 around the swimming pool. 190 00:13:02,880 --> 00:13:07,080 Byron Valier and Donald Rash appeared to be two men from opposite sides of the 191 00:13:07,080 --> 00:13:13,780 tracks, both who, in a twist of fate, ended up at Fine Arts Express, where 192 00:13:13,780 --> 00:13:17,100 together they hatched up a plan to steal millions of dollars of art. 193 00:13:18,440 --> 00:13:20,180 But now the game is up. 194 00:13:21,930 --> 00:13:26,650 I was enthusiastic that it wasn't a cold case. I mean, they had suspects, it was 195 00:13:26,650 --> 00:13:29,690 fresh, and they had recovered some significant pieces. 196 00:13:30,990 --> 00:13:35,450 Frank Brostrom is one of 12 special agents on the FBI's art crime team. 197 00:13:36,250 --> 00:13:40,470 On November 16, 2004, Brostrom takes the case. 198 00:13:40,790 --> 00:13:44,470 Our goal was to try to at least recover the artwork first, get it back, get it 199 00:13:44,470 --> 00:13:47,210 in a safe place, and then worry about making the arrest. 200 00:13:48,530 --> 00:13:50,390 Brostrom's first order of business... 201 00:13:50,620 --> 00:13:53,500 Pay his suspects a visit and turn up the heat. 202 00:13:53,740 --> 00:13:59,320 I gave them 48 hours to voluntarily surrender the artwork, or I would have 203 00:13:59,320 --> 00:14:03,620 experts come in from Washington, D .C., and they would be under investigation 204 00:14:03,620 --> 00:14:04,620 federally. 205 00:14:05,700 --> 00:14:10,120 When Brostrom comes face -to -face with Byron Valliere, the scare tactics work. 206 00:14:10,740 --> 00:14:13,000 I guess you would call it a deer -in -a -headlight look. 207 00:14:13,580 --> 00:14:17,200 He wasn't expecting a visit by the FBI that day, and certainly not. 208 00:14:17,850 --> 00:14:22,850 a special agent who's on the art crime team. He gave him the big three 209 00:14:22,850 --> 00:14:26,830 and he said that the FBI was involved and he didn't have all the artwork back 210 00:14:26,830 --> 00:14:28,070 Wednesday before Thanksgiving. 211 00:14:28,970 --> 00:14:32,450 that he was going to come out and start arresting people. He started breathing 212 00:14:32,450 --> 00:14:33,450 heavily. 213 00:14:33,750 --> 00:14:38,270 He was, you know, very deep breath as if he was nervous. 214 00:14:38,470 --> 00:14:43,010 His face turned red. I knew we had him. I knew we had him. And I felt confident 215 00:14:43,010 --> 00:14:47,010 that when I walked out the door that we would get cooperation and that we would 216 00:14:47,010 --> 00:14:48,910 most likely recover at least some of the artwork. 217 00:14:50,610 --> 00:14:53,510 48 hours later, Vallier surrenders the art. 218 00:14:54,450 --> 00:14:57,850 The attorney for Byron Vallier called us on Wednesday. 219 00:14:58,570 --> 00:15:02,170 and said, I have a bunch of stuff here that you might be interested in. 220 00:15:02,630 --> 00:15:06,690 When Harris and Brostrom head to the attorney's office, they realize they 221 00:15:06,690 --> 00:15:07,690 hit the jackpot. 222 00:15:07,830 --> 00:15:10,290 The night before Thanksgiving, Wednesday before Thanksgiving. 223 00:15:10,710 --> 00:15:12,010 Yep. It was a long night. 224 00:15:12,630 --> 00:15:13,630 Yes, it was. 225 00:15:13,710 --> 00:15:18,650 There was a room like this, about half this size, I guess, filled with artwork. 226 00:15:19,830 --> 00:15:22,790 Overwhelmed. We knew we were going to get some stuff back. 227 00:15:22,990 --> 00:15:24,970 I didn't think we'd get that much back. 228 00:15:25,420 --> 00:15:31,920 sculptures, paintings, prints, drawings, steel sculptures, wood 229 00:15:31,920 --> 00:15:34,720 sculptures. We weren't expecting that many pieces. 230 00:15:36,160 --> 00:15:37,780 We had to call for backup. 231 00:15:39,120 --> 00:15:43,400 One day, Byron Valliere hands over 46 pieces of stolen art. 232 00:15:43,800 --> 00:15:46,200 He was very remorseful. He knew he screwed up. 233 00:15:46,670 --> 00:15:51,270 I thought that Byron was probably not as economically or as academically 234 00:15:51,270 --> 00:15:56,310 successful as other members of his family. Having this artwork would give 235 00:15:56,310 --> 00:15:59,450 access, A, to money, and B, to prestige. 236 00:15:59,770 --> 00:16:04,150 And he would do it not because he's a dishonest man that scary music plays 237 00:16:04,150 --> 00:16:07,830 he comes in the room, but because he wanted to feel important. 238 00:16:08,570 --> 00:16:12,450 He's going to have to go to jail, but, you know, a lot of people go to jail. 239 00:16:13,400 --> 00:16:16,480 Donald Rash, on the other hand, isn't cooperating. 240 00:16:17,440 --> 00:16:22,760 Brass struck me as a liar. I didn't think he could tell the truth if the 241 00:16:22,760 --> 00:16:23,840 fell on him out of a tree. 242 00:16:24,060 --> 00:16:27,020 His physical response was not the same. 243 00:16:27,280 --> 00:16:33,600 Like he was put off by the whole thing and that we didn't understand because he 244 00:16:33,600 --> 00:16:34,600 was an artiste. 245 00:16:34,800 --> 00:16:37,340 He was arrogant and ignorant at the same time. 246 00:16:38,080 --> 00:16:42,100 With no sign of the artwork, Rostrum heads to Rash's house with a search 247 00:16:42,100 --> 00:16:46,530 warrant. Within three weeks, he recovers 26 pieces of stolen art. 248 00:16:46,770 --> 00:16:48,090 It was like an Easter egg hunt. 249 00:16:48,310 --> 00:16:54,430 He did have certain items out and available for us to look at and recover, 250 00:16:54,750 --> 00:17:01,410 and we were looking in laundry baskets and under clothing and in washers and 251 00:17:01,410 --> 00:17:05,270 dryers looking for items, and we did recover a few other items that wasn't 252 00:17:05,270 --> 00:17:07,030 readily apparent to us. 253 00:17:07,890 --> 00:17:11,869 Donald Rash is in a tight spot and is about to tell all. 254 00:17:12,589 --> 00:17:16,109 There's always something in the back of your mind that thinks, you know, you're 255 00:17:16,109 --> 00:17:17,390 always waiting for the other shoe to fall. 256 00:17:18,450 --> 00:17:19,450 As it did. 257 00:17:39,500 --> 00:17:45,360 By December of 2004, the game is up for Donald Rash and Byron Valliere, two men 258 00:17:45,360 --> 00:17:50,080 who stole more than 130 pieces of art from an art storage facility in the St. 259 00:17:50,140 --> 00:17:51,140 Louis area. 260 00:17:52,300 --> 00:17:57,160 Authorities have built a solid case, but the question remains, why did they do 261 00:17:57,160 --> 00:17:58,960 it, and how did they pull it off? 262 00:18:00,780 --> 00:18:06,320 Donald Rash, as it all started in 2001, when he and Byron Valliere came across a 263 00:18:06,320 --> 00:18:09,750 couple of large storage boxes, at Fine Arts Express. 264 00:18:10,630 --> 00:18:13,110 These are big boxes, bin boxes, what they were called. 265 00:18:13,610 --> 00:18:20,350 And the only thing that was on it at all was just a name, Harder, H -A -R -T -E 266 00:18:20,350 --> 00:18:21,229 -R. 267 00:18:21,230 --> 00:18:25,050 According to management, the name Harder was nowhere in the system. 268 00:18:25,470 --> 00:18:28,230 And the art storage bill hadn't been paid in months. 269 00:18:28,470 --> 00:18:32,190 As far as he knew, the Harters had not paid their bill. But that isn't really 270 00:18:32,190 --> 00:18:37,030 correct. What had happened was that the FAE business had changed hands so many 271 00:18:37,030 --> 00:18:42,390 times that they were paying bills to a company that no longer owned the 272 00:18:42,390 --> 00:18:45,570 where the art was stored. So somebody was cashing their check. 273 00:18:46,270 --> 00:18:52,410 From the top on down, it seemed that it was run in a very shoddy sort of way. 274 00:18:53,680 --> 00:18:57,980 It came as no surprise to us that no one knew what it was about, that there was 275 00:18:57,980 --> 00:18:58,980 no paperwork on it. 276 00:18:59,180 --> 00:19:04,200 We called the main office and they were, don't bother us with it. 277 00:19:05,400 --> 00:19:07,360 It seemed kind of par for the course. 278 00:19:08,260 --> 00:19:10,680 Rash says Valier tried to locate the Hargers. 279 00:19:11,140 --> 00:19:12,720 He said he did everything in his power. 280 00:19:13,440 --> 00:19:14,440 Couldn't find them. 281 00:19:14,840 --> 00:19:20,480 We began to think that either of these people were dead, didn't exist. 282 00:19:21,820 --> 00:19:25,780 Months later, they cracked open the crates and searched for a paper trail. 283 00:19:26,540 --> 00:19:33,300 We discovered, okay, this isn't just someone's regular art. This is a big 284 00:19:33,300 --> 00:19:35,360 name. And we open up the next piece. 285 00:19:35,560 --> 00:19:37,300 It's another big name. 286 00:19:37,640 --> 00:19:41,920 And, you know, soon I start feeling like, you know, Carter, and he's opening 287 00:19:41,920 --> 00:19:45,420 to an uncommon tune. And it's just like one after another after another. 288 00:19:46,060 --> 00:19:51,660 Rash discovered the Rothko, the Frankenthaler, the Matisse's, and says 289 00:19:51,660 --> 00:19:56,280 hooked. And he started thinking about it and go, wow, you know, if this stuff is 290 00:19:56,280 --> 00:20:01,600 abandoned, it needs to go somewhere where it's taken care of. 291 00:20:06,300 --> 00:20:10,560 Rash says after weighing their options for four months and with no sign of the 292 00:20:10,560 --> 00:20:13,700 Harters, he and Valier decided to simply take the art. 293 00:20:13,940 --> 00:20:15,160 Byron came in back. 294 00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:19,440 And he looked at me and said, dude, today's the day. 295 00:20:20,340 --> 00:20:26,640 So he went down, got a 12 -pack of beer. We pretty much called it the rest of 296 00:20:26,640 --> 00:20:30,660 the day and started unwrapping the pieces. 297 00:20:32,320 --> 00:20:36,600 Over the next few hours, Rash and Valier took turns plucking pieces from the 298 00:20:36,600 --> 00:20:37,600 collection. 299 00:20:37,820 --> 00:20:43,560 To be honest with you, we had a very, very good time dividing up which piece. 300 00:20:58,920 --> 00:21:05,820 When the day was done, Rash and Valeer each walked away with more 301 00:21:05,820 --> 00:21:07,540 than 50 pieces of stolen art. 302 00:21:13,520 --> 00:21:15,260 of selling the work. 303 00:21:16,100 --> 00:21:19,160 I wanted to keep them for the rest of my life. 304 00:21:22,080 --> 00:21:25,560 He talked about making love to his girlfriend underneath the William de 305 00:21:25,560 --> 00:21:26,560 that was hanging on his wall. 306 00:21:26,760 --> 00:21:31,980 And so we knew that he was one of the people that didn't do it for financial 307 00:21:31,980 --> 00:21:33,700 reasons. He did it for the love of art. 308 00:21:34,080 --> 00:21:38,940 And for two and a half years, Rash cherished the art until the scheme came 309 00:21:38,940 --> 00:21:39,940 crashing down. 310 00:21:40,160 --> 00:21:43,520 There's always something in the back of your mind that thinks, you know, you're 311 00:21:43,520 --> 00:21:46,900 always waiting for the other shoe to fall, you know, as it did. 312 00:21:47,580 --> 00:21:52,880 In the summer of 2005, Valier and Rash both plead guilty to conspiracy to 313 00:21:52,880 --> 00:21:56,240 and violate the interstate transportation of stolen goods. 314 00:21:57,140 --> 00:22:01,820 At sentencing, Valier gets 90 days in the federal lockup. Donald Rash, 315 00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:03,140 gets two years. 316 00:22:03,640 --> 00:22:09,160 Somehow, my co -defendant brokered his way. 317 00:22:11,300 --> 00:22:18,240 into 90 days at Marion and 90 days home confinement, whereas 318 00:22:18,240 --> 00:22:19,860 I got two years. 319 00:22:23,440 --> 00:22:24,440 That's going to tell you something. 320 00:22:24,620 --> 00:22:27,380 I think they both should have got 30 years in prison, but I'm not a judge or 321 00:22:27,380 --> 00:22:28,760 lawyer, so it doesn't matter what I think. 322 00:22:29,020 --> 00:22:33,340 So what I want is justice is what you get in the courtroom, whether you like 323 00:22:33,340 --> 00:22:33,799 or not. 324 00:22:33,800 --> 00:22:35,260 The cocktail is eluding me. 325 00:22:36,140 --> 00:22:37,300 We're still missing that. 326 00:22:37,950 --> 00:22:41,210 It's a wire sculpture by Alexander Calden. 327 00:22:41,510 --> 00:22:45,770 With Rash and Valier behind bars, the work still isn't done for investigators. 328 00:22:46,330 --> 00:22:52,150 Unlike Mr. Rash, who really hoarded and held on to the artwork, 329 00:22:52,390 --> 00:22:58,230 up until the point he sold it to Stuart Slavin, Mr. Valier marketed those items, 330 00:22:58,370 --> 00:23:02,350 and they were sold to other galleries and other private collectors in the 331 00:23:02,350 --> 00:23:03,350 States and overseas. 332 00:23:04,010 --> 00:23:08,550 This piece right here, the Rothko prank, tracked all the way to Tokyo. 333 00:23:09,110 --> 00:23:14,610 Over the next two years, the FBI's art crime team tracks the stolen art. They 334 00:23:14,610 --> 00:23:18,850 find pieces in museums, art galleries, and private collections across the 335 00:23:18,850 --> 00:23:21,010 country and even around the world. 336 00:23:21,370 --> 00:23:25,470 He got it back from Japan. Nobody ever said he wouldn't. What did that thing 337 00:23:25,470 --> 00:23:26,470 sell for recently? 338 00:23:26,710 --> 00:23:30,610 It recently sold for $2 .6 million. Everyone cooperated. The galleries 339 00:23:30,610 --> 00:23:31,750 cooperated. 340 00:23:33,340 --> 00:23:37,100 and we were able to have it flown back to the United States and to St. Louis. 341 00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:38,540 A very expensive crate. 342 00:23:38,740 --> 00:23:40,620 I like the crate more than I like the Rothko. 343 00:23:42,120 --> 00:23:47,680 To date, Brostrom and Harris have recovered more than 100 pieces, making 344 00:23:47,680 --> 00:23:50,860 largest art recovery for the FBI's art crime team. 345 00:23:51,440 --> 00:23:53,840 Still, many pieces remain missing. 346 00:23:54,380 --> 00:23:59,920 We're still missing the antique Smith and Wesson revolver. 347 00:24:00,510 --> 00:24:03,510 From the 1800s. I wish I had a better picture. 348 00:24:03,970 --> 00:24:06,730 Frank Brostrom isn't stopping anytime soon. 349 00:24:06,950 --> 00:24:08,610 Here it is, Picasso print. 350 00:24:09,090 --> 00:24:15,150 This is the golden egg that I hope before we're done that we can recover. I 351 00:24:15,150 --> 00:24:18,650 believe that somebody holds the key to its current location. 352 00:24:19,110 --> 00:24:25,270 We mean business, and that we're determined to recover as many of these 353 00:24:25,270 --> 00:24:27,930 pieces as we can. And we're not going to give up until we do. 354 00:24:33,520 --> 00:24:35,380 It's a long time when you're in the system. 355 00:24:35,860 --> 00:24:38,300 Two years, to me, seems like an eternity. 356 00:24:39,900 --> 00:24:44,860 For Donald Rash, life behind bars has given him a new perspective on his 357 00:24:45,640 --> 00:24:49,840 No, it wasn't worth it. It wasn't worth it to bring about that kind of hardship 358 00:24:49,840 --> 00:24:56,580 on other individuals, the people that I love, to bring about hardship on myself. 359 00:24:58,080 --> 00:25:01,600 If I could look back on that fateful day, 360 00:25:02,710 --> 00:25:04,970 And know then what I know today. 361 00:25:05,950 --> 00:25:07,270 No, I wouldn't have done it. 362 00:25:08,550 --> 00:25:09,550 Who would have? 363 00:25:14,710 --> 00:25:18,310 Up next, a doctor takes advantage of desperate patients. 364 00:25:18,630 --> 00:25:21,470 He could have injected me with gasoline. It wouldn't matter if it helped. 365 00:25:21,670 --> 00:25:23,190 You know, I was just in that much pain. 366 00:25:23,470 --> 00:25:25,930 And sticks insurance companies for millions. 367 00:25:26,850 --> 00:25:27,689 I'm done. 368 00:25:27,690 --> 00:25:28,389 I'm done. 369 00:25:28,390 --> 00:25:29,610 When American Greed returns. 370 00:25:30,220 --> 00:25:32,480 The feds take down Dr. Jorge Martinez. 371 00:25:50,960 --> 00:25:52,240 It's like a nightmare. 372 00:25:53,280 --> 00:25:55,240 Long needle. 373 00:25:58,590 --> 00:25:59,750 Jabs in the back. 374 00:26:00,530 --> 00:26:02,270 Over and over. 375 00:26:03,850 --> 00:26:08,970 And for the chance to relieve pain, some patients endure it week after week. 376 00:26:09,470 --> 00:26:14,870 To the doctor giving the shots, Dr. Jorge Martinez, the shots mean even 377 00:26:16,510 --> 00:26:21,310 They mean a big house and an affluent lifestyle. 378 00:26:22,690 --> 00:26:25,430 The shots bring in money, big money. 379 00:26:30,290 --> 00:26:34,790 Cleveland's a hard -working town where an honest day's work makes an honest 380 00:26:34,790 --> 00:26:35,790 buck. 381 00:26:38,370 --> 00:26:41,850 Jack Lancaster and his wife, Karen, make a good life here. 382 00:26:42,050 --> 00:26:45,690 Jack is a gentle giant, a loving husband and father. 383 00:26:46,190 --> 00:26:48,850 He was 6 '7". He was a big guy. 384 00:26:50,650 --> 00:26:54,970 Lots of fun, full of energy, full of life. 385 00:26:56,790 --> 00:26:58,570 He works as a truck driver. 386 00:26:59,530 --> 00:27:02,910 But in 1990, Jack gets into a terrible accident. 387 00:27:03,350 --> 00:27:09,190 He was run off the road by another driver who had run the stop sign. 388 00:27:09,670 --> 00:27:12,930 He looked pretty bad at the time. We were pretty worried. 389 00:27:13,170 --> 00:27:16,730 Jack pulls through, but with serious back and neck injuries. 390 00:27:17,030 --> 00:27:21,790 He faces a life of chronic pain and seeks relief from Dr. Martinez. 391 00:27:22,310 --> 00:27:27,690 Martinez prescribes powerful medications like Valium, Percocet, Vicodin, and 392 00:27:27,690 --> 00:27:28,830 even Oxycontin. 393 00:27:29,050 --> 00:27:31,630 which is sometimes called legal heroin on the streets. 394 00:27:31,970 --> 00:27:36,830 About a year into seeing Dr. Martinez, I started noticing very drastic changes 395 00:27:36,830 --> 00:27:37,830 with him. 396 00:27:38,430 --> 00:27:39,690 He became anxious. 397 00:27:40,470 --> 00:27:45,910 He became verbally abusive, and he was paranoid. 398 00:27:48,250 --> 00:27:50,390 Jack is hooked on his pain medication. 399 00:27:52,110 --> 00:27:55,250 He has a standing appointment with Martinez every Wednesday. 400 00:27:56,330 --> 00:28:00,650 And the doctor tells him he needs nerve block injections to dull the pain. The 401 00:28:00,650 --> 00:28:06,970 injections can cost more than $5 ,000 and typically offer pain relief for two 402 00:28:06,970 --> 00:28:07,909 three months. 403 00:28:07,910 --> 00:28:11,270 But for Jack, they don't seem to work, and he hates them. 404 00:28:11,570 --> 00:28:15,930 But Dr. Martinez makes it clear, no shots, no pills. 405 00:28:17,370 --> 00:28:22,250 He said, if I don't get the injection, I will not get my medication. 406 00:28:23,120 --> 00:28:26,180 So I endure the injections so that I can get my pills. 407 00:28:27,140 --> 00:28:31,900 Jack begins to supplement his legal drugs with illegal drugs like cocaine. 408 00:28:32,960 --> 00:28:37,220 He's arrested several times and in 2001 is thrown in jail. 409 00:28:38,080 --> 00:28:41,860 Unable to take his pain meds for a month, Jack detoxes. 410 00:28:42,400 --> 00:28:47,780 He got out of jail on a Tuesday. The next day, he was right in Dr. Martinez's 411 00:28:47,780 --> 00:28:53,860 office. Jack goes from taking nothing in jail... back to a cocktail of meds. Two 412 00:28:53,860 --> 00:28:55,840 days later, he is rushed to the hospital. 413 00:28:56,600 --> 00:29:01,900 He had aspirated, and the fluid went into his lungs. He was literally 414 00:29:01,900 --> 00:29:03,940 in his own fluids. 415 00:29:04,420 --> 00:29:09,940 With Jack direly ill, his wife pays a surprise visit to Dr. Martinez's office 416 00:29:09,940 --> 00:29:10,980 find out what happened. 417 00:29:11,600 --> 00:29:13,720 He said he gave him some injections. 418 00:29:14,890 --> 00:29:18,430 He said he wasn't feeling really good. He said, so I let him rest for a little 419 00:29:18,430 --> 00:29:22,730 while, but then I gave him a couple of Zoloft and sent him on his way. 420 00:29:24,470 --> 00:29:26,210 And I thought that was really odd. 421 00:29:27,690 --> 00:29:29,910 Frustrated, Karen heads back to the hospital. 422 00:29:31,930 --> 00:29:38,570 Jack was in intensive care for six days, and then he passed away. 423 00:29:40,560 --> 00:29:46,700 Jack Lancaster dies on September 13, 2001, at the age of 42. 424 00:29:47,880 --> 00:29:49,860 Karen blames Dr. Martinez. 425 00:29:50,280 --> 00:29:57,000 He put all of his faith in Dr. Martinez, and he 426 00:29:57,000 --> 00:29:58,000 betrayed him. 427 00:29:59,720 --> 00:30:05,020 But Jack Lancaster's death isn't what catches the eyes of investigators from a 428 00:30:05,020 --> 00:30:06,680 half -dozen agencies around town. 429 00:30:09,260 --> 00:30:12,800 It's Martinez's billings that light up all their radar screens. 430 00:30:13,420 --> 00:30:18,680 Many patients visit Martinez weekly, while most pain doctors see their 431 00:30:18,680 --> 00:30:23,120 monthly. And Martinez's billings are much higher than average. 432 00:30:23,980 --> 00:30:30,100 One by one, investigators go on high alert, from the FBI to private insurance 433 00:30:30,100 --> 00:30:35,140 companies to Medicare and Medicaid and the State Workers' Compensation Bureau. 434 00:30:36,400 --> 00:30:42,240 One of the oldest detection methods we in health care investigations do is you 435 00:30:42,240 --> 00:30:44,220 just look at how much money you're paying. 436 00:30:44,540 --> 00:30:51,360 In 1998, he goes from $26 ,000 to $2 ,000. He's well up over a million 437 00:30:51,360 --> 00:30:56,880 dollars in payments from our agency. I have never in my career seen a practice 438 00:30:56,880 --> 00:30:58,220 escalate that quickly. 439 00:30:58,860 --> 00:31:00,740 So where does the money come from? 440 00:31:01,080 --> 00:31:02,200 Is it from the shots? 441 00:31:06,280 --> 00:31:09,500 Two of these types of injections per patient. 442 00:31:10,420 --> 00:31:17,420 Dr. Martinez is averaging 64 of these types of injections. 443 00:31:18,760 --> 00:31:21,820 The numbers add up, and then they multiply. 444 00:31:22,040 --> 00:31:24,780 What's in those shots is money. 445 00:31:25,100 --> 00:31:31,100 You're looking at payments of $1 ,000 to $3 ,500 for one day of service. 446 00:31:32,080 --> 00:31:36,320 And then you're looking at frequencies where the patients are coming in every 447 00:31:36,320 --> 00:31:39,600 week, every two weeks, to get these injections. 448 00:31:40,160 --> 00:31:41,880 And then there are the prescriptions. 449 00:31:42,700 --> 00:31:45,260 Martinez writes plenty of them for powerful medications. 450 00:31:45,900 --> 00:31:50,520 But the paperwork he submits offers little explanation for why they're 451 00:31:50,520 --> 00:31:51,520 prescribed. 452 00:31:51,580 --> 00:31:56,180 How could they be getting all these prescriptions and no medical claims to 453 00:31:56,180 --> 00:31:57,180 substantiate it? 454 00:31:57,640 --> 00:32:00,200 Medicaid suspends payments to Dr. Martinez. 455 00:32:00,890 --> 00:32:06,650 The pain doctor isn't happy, and he responds with a 75 -page letter accusing 456 00:32:06,650 --> 00:32:08,510 government of singling him out. 457 00:32:08,830 --> 00:32:11,990 It was really bizarre, to say the least. 458 00:32:12,190 --> 00:32:16,590 With the FBI in the lead, the federal, state, and private investigators join 459 00:32:16,590 --> 00:32:19,110 forces, and cooperation pays. 460 00:32:19,650 --> 00:32:23,690 The group adds up nearly $60 million in claims from Martinez. 461 00:32:24,090 --> 00:32:27,330 The team knows it's that kind of money that can bring a conviction. 462 00:32:27,710 --> 00:32:28,930 When we return... 463 00:32:29,130 --> 00:32:32,590 The U .S. Attorney's Office takes the case and prepares to shut Martinez down 464 00:32:32,590 --> 00:32:33,750 and bring him in. 465 00:32:34,910 --> 00:32:40,610 For more information and special web exclusives, log on to AmericanGreed 466 00:32:40,610 --> 00:32:41,610 .com. 467 00:32:52,250 --> 00:32:56,790 In Cleveland, federal investigators are on to Dr. Jorge Martinez. 468 00:32:57,480 --> 00:32:59,460 A pain doctor suspected of fraud. 469 00:33:00,980 --> 00:33:06,220 The U .S. Attorney's Office aims to take Martinez out of business and into jail. 470 00:33:06,960 --> 00:33:11,380 Compared to most fraud cases, these health care fraud cases are much more 471 00:33:11,380 --> 00:33:12,560 difficult to prosecute. 472 00:33:12,900 --> 00:33:17,920 A native of Costa Rica, Martinez attended the University of Guadalajara 473 00:33:17,920 --> 00:33:22,760 school. He climbed up the medical ladder, first at hospitals, then in 474 00:33:22,760 --> 00:33:26,500 practice, eventually landing in Ohio in the early 90s. 475 00:33:26,800 --> 00:33:28,700 Quickly, his lifestyle grew. 476 00:33:30,380 --> 00:33:34,760 Well, he had paid cash for a million -dollar home in the Cleveland area, and 477 00:33:34,760 --> 00:33:37,140 you know Cleveland real estate values, you know that's quite a home. 478 00:33:38,240 --> 00:33:42,820 Investigators began talking with former employees and patients, and the profile 479 00:33:42,820 --> 00:33:43,860 began to emerge. 480 00:33:44,360 --> 00:33:46,340 They came in two classes, really. 481 00:33:46,560 --> 00:33:50,780 First were the people who were simply drug addicts. They're addicted to 482 00:33:50,780 --> 00:33:52,300 prescription medication. 483 00:33:53,160 --> 00:33:58,440 And then we also had people who had actually been hurt. They had had 484 00:33:58,440 --> 00:34:02,060 accidents. They'd had some work -related injury. 485 00:34:02,680 --> 00:34:08,420 Mariah Crenshaw saw Dr. Martinez every week after a car accident left her in 486 00:34:08,420 --> 00:34:09,420 chronic pain. 487 00:34:09,620 --> 00:34:12,699 He pretty much kind of put me to sleep for almost a year. 488 00:34:13,179 --> 00:34:17,120 He had me on Vicotin and Percocet. 489 00:34:17,500 --> 00:34:22,080 He had me on Xanaflex, which is a muscle relaxant. 490 00:34:23,150 --> 00:34:27,429 I think I was taking somewhere between 18, maybe 24 pills a day. 491 00:34:27,710 --> 00:34:32,290 On each visit, Martinez requires patients to sign at least 10 different 492 00:34:32,290 --> 00:34:36,550 documents. But one of those documents seems especially unusual. 493 00:34:37,250 --> 00:34:39,469 It serves acknowledgement and lasts well. 494 00:34:40,520 --> 00:34:44,460 It says, I, Mariah Crenshaw, have been well informed by Dr. Martinez that I may 495 00:34:44,460 --> 00:34:49,920 die if I take at once all the pain medications I have been prescribed or 496 00:34:49,920 --> 00:34:54,159 may die if I take the pain medication in other ways or forms but the one 497 00:34:54,159 --> 00:34:55,159 prescribed to me. 498 00:34:55,469 --> 00:34:59,890 by Dr. Martinez, and that I may die if I mix the pain medication with alcohol or 499 00:34:59,890 --> 00:35:00,890 illegal drugs. 500 00:35:01,250 --> 00:35:06,030 Therefore, in case I die of an overdose, it is my last will that my death be 501 00:35:06,030 --> 00:35:09,890 considered a voluntary suicide and that Dr. Martinez not be indicted or 502 00:35:09,890 --> 00:35:14,250 prosecuted for my death, and then he would have us sign it and witness it. 503 00:35:14,650 --> 00:35:18,470 I've certainly never seen anything like this. I've never seen it in any other 504 00:35:18,470 --> 00:35:19,470 medical case. 505 00:35:19,970 --> 00:35:21,250 This is extraordinary. 506 00:35:21,870 --> 00:35:24,090 All the same handwriting, all the same results. 507 00:35:24,700 --> 00:35:25,700 every single time. 508 00:35:26,540 --> 00:35:29,740 And Martina's reports seem extraordinarily uniform. 509 00:35:30,160 --> 00:35:36,080 Form after form shows patients in good condition 30 minutes after an injection. 510 00:35:36,540 --> 00:35:39,780 On the form, you'll see each one has a stamp. 511 00:35:40,080 --> 00:35:46,220 And within that stamp, handwriting explaining that for whatever patient 512 00:35:46,220 --> 00:35:50,440 was, the person rested for 30 minutes after the shot. 513 00:35:50,990 --> 00:35:56,390 was evaluated to be in stable condition, discharged in good condition, records a 514 00:35:56,390 --> 00:35:58,510 pulse and a BP, was prepped, etc. 515 00:35:58,870 --> 00:36:03,510 This information was pre -xeroxed and stamped on every office form before any 516 00:36:03,510 --> 00:36:04,990 patient was ever seen. 517 00:36:05,210 --> 00:36:08,910 These were kept in stacks on the back of every door in the office. They don't 518 00:36:08,910 --> 00:36:11,610 reflect any individualized treatment whatsoever. 519 00:36:13,410 --> 00:36:17,970 Then, there are those expensive and painful shots that can cost more than $5 520 00:36:17,970 --> 00:36:19,750 ,000 each week. 521 00:36:21,130 --> 00:36:24,570 Oh, wow. They were probably as horrendous as the pain I was dealing 522 00:36:25,570 --> 00:36:31,170 He would give me nerve blocks in my neck, straight into my neck. He would 523 00:36:31,170 --> 00:36:34,490 give them to me in my upper hip, my lower back. 524 00:36:36,010 --> 00:36:41,430 And for about two years, Crenshaw endured the injections week after week. 525 00:36:41,810 --> 00:36:44,590 He could have injected me with gasoline. It wouldn't matter if it helped. 526 00:36:44,810 --> 00:36:47,390 You know, I was in that much pain. I was that desperate. 527 00:36:48,010 --> 00:36:49,090 A theory evolves. 528 00:36:49,800 --> 00:36:53,900 Definitely becoming a pattern that a fair number of his patients were also 529 00:36:53,900 --> 00:36:56,000 people with addiction problems. 530 00:36:56,380 --> 00:37:03,360 Multiple prescriptions per visit for narcotics, sedatives, sleeping pills, 531 00:37:03,360 --> 00:37:06,020 and four prescriptions at a time were not uncommon. 532 00:37:06,520 --> 00:37:10,340 What he did was prescribe medication and... 533 00:37:10,730 --> 00:37:13,450 People then became dependent on these narcotics. 534 00:37:13,670 --> 00:37:17,310 And when they're dependent on the narcotics, then they're going to have to 535 00:37:17,310 --> 00:37:19,570 back to their supplier, their drug dealer. 536 00:37:19,990 --> 00:37:23,490 Investigators suspect that these addicted patients would do anything, 537 00:37:23,490 --> 00:37:27,330 endure painful, unnecessary, and expensive injections to get their 538 00:37:27,330 --> 00:37:30,350 prescriptions. For Martinez, the equation rakes in millions. 539 00:37:30,810 --> 00:37:34,250 Is Dr. Martinez hurting his patients to make cash? 540 00:37:34,530 --> 00:37:36,550 A hypocrite to the Hippocratic Oath? 541 00:37:37,250 --> 00:37:41,450 Investigators hatch a plan to go inside his office where they will find their 542 00:37:41,450 --> 00:37:42,450 smoking gun. 543 00:37:57,030 --> 00:37:59,930 The feds in Cleveland know they've got something big. 544 00:38:00,670 --> 00:38:03,590 Too many fingers are pointing at Dr. Jorge Martinez. 545 00:38:05,480 --> 00:38:10,180 The investigation tells not only of potential medical fraud, but of death, 546 00:38:10,360 --> 00:38:14,760 They learn of Jack Lancaster's death after months of bills totaling more than 547 00:38:14,760 --> 00:38:16,000 $150 ,000. 548 00:38:16,680 --> 00:38:23,260 Dr. Martinez loaded him up with drugs and billed for thousands of dollars of 549 00:38:23,260 --> 00:38:28,020 injections. Afraid more patients might be hurt, the team decides they must get 550 00:38:28,020 --> 00:38:29,840 inside Martinez's medical office. 551 00:38:30,120 --> 00:38:34,700 The FBI approaches a nurse who agrees to wear a hidden camera in her smock. 552 00:38:35,040 --> 00:38:37,740 And investigators see more than they'd even imagined. 553 00:38:38,020 --> 00:38:40,900 Dozens upon dozens of patients receiving the shots. 554 00:38:41,680 --> 00:38:42,780 Seeing is believing. 555 00:38:43,120 --> 00:38:48,080 From the first exam that the employee videoed through the last, seeing is 556 00:38:48,080 --> 00:38:49,080 believing. 557 00:38:49,260 --> 00:38:54,020 The doctor would poke his head into the room, ask the patient, Are you getting 558 00:38:54,020 --> 00:39:00,480 a shot, basically? If the patient said yes, 559 00:39:00,580 --> 00:39:04,140 then the doctor would say, bad side up, which meant whatever side. 560 00:39:05,020 --> 00:39:09,180 had the pain was to be placed up so the doctor could perform the injection in 561 00:39:09,180 --> 00:39:10,180 that area. 562 00:39:11,520 --> 00:39:16,240 When investigators compared the video to the paperwork, they suspect Martinez is 563 00:39:16,240 --> 00:39:20,580 performing a simple trigger point injection, which relieves muscle spasms 564 00:39:20,580 --> 00:39:24,100 instead of the much more costly nerve blocks he bills for. 565 00:39:24,480 --> 00:39:29,220 When you look at what the doctor actually did on the tape, that's not 566 00:39:29,220 --> 00:39:33,580 done. But this is what was billed for, and therein was the fraud. 567 00:39:34,299 --> 00:39:35,299 We asked Dr. 568 00:39:35,600 --> 00:39:39,880 Magdalena Anatescu of the University of Chicago, is this a nerve block? 569 00:39:40,420 --> 00:39:45,200 No, I mean, to me it looks like a trigger point. I don't think it's a 570 00:39:45,200 --> 00:39:46,300 block. No, it's not a nerve block. 571 00:39:47,040 --> 00:39:48,580 It's a trigger point injection. 572 00:39:49,480 --> 00:39:52,080 Well, I mean, I don't even know what he's doing, really. 573 00:39:52,700 --> 00:39:56,260 The needle is huge. I mean, there's a possibility to hit the kidneys in there, 574 00:39:56,340 --> 00:40:00,940 to hit the aorta, to hit the aorta or any other vessel, and it would be a 575 00:40:00,940 --> 00:40:01,940 complication. 576 00:40:02,190 --> 00:40:06,950 And then that is one. Number two, I mean, those people are having street 577 00:40:06,950 --> 00:40:10,590 clothes. Risk of infection is really high. I mean, it's totally unacceptable. 578 00:40:11,330 --> 00:40:14,790 This is what a nerve block injection typically looks like. 579 00:40:17,950 --> 00:40:22,710 This doctor spends about 15 to 30 minutes prepping for and performing this 580 00:40:22,710 --> 00:40:23,710 procedure. 581 00:40:24,830 --> 00:40:27,690 While Martinez spends as little as three minutes. 582 00:40:28,030 --> 00:40:29,390 The evidence is overwhelming. 583 00:40:30,410 --> 00:40:35,470 On September 2, 2004, federal agents raided the doctor's home. 584 00:40:35,970 --> 00:40:39,530 It took him approximately five minutes to answer his door, but he did answer 585 00:40:39,530 --> 00:40:46,090 door. Dr. Martinez was actually very calm. He asked what he was being 586 00:40:46,090 --> 00:40:48,870 for. He was advised for health care fraud. 587 00:40:49,850 --> 00:40:55,370 Agencies about $7 million in assets and confiscate more than 200 boxes of 588 00:40:55,370 --> 00:40:56,370 documents. 589 00:40:56,510 --> 00:40:59,150 Martinez is arrested on multiple fraud charges. 590 00:40:59,570 --> 00:41:03,870 And for the death of Jack Lancaster, Martinez becomes one of the first 591 00:41:03,870 --> 00:41:08,430 hit with a new charge, health care fraud resulting in death. 592 00:41:08,750 --> 00:41:12,490 Dr. Martinez is accused in the death of a Parma office patient who received 593 00:41:12,490 --> 00:41:14,690 prescriptions from multiple painkillers. 594 00:41:15,050 --> 00:41:19,890 Jack Lancaster's widow, Karen, sees Martinez's arrest on the local news, 595 00:41:19,890 --> 00:41:23,750 documents referring to a patient who died with the initials J .L. 596 00:41:24,230 --> 00:41:28,070 She calls the authorities, telling them she's J .L.'s widow and begins 597 00:41:28,070 --> 00:41:29,530 cooperating with the investigation. 598 00:41:30,890 --> 00:41:35,010 Since his arrest, Martinez's lawyers have advised him to keep a low profile. 599 00:41:35,410 --> 00:41:39,330 He has declined interviews with the media, including American Greed. 600 00:41:39,570 --> 00:41:42,790 However, from jail, he has written dozens of letters. 601 00:41:43,150 --> 00:41:47,650 He wrote me two or three letters a week after he was arrested. 602 00:41:48,310 --> 00:41:52,730 He said that he had tried to help people, that he was innocent. 603 00:41:54,120 --> 00:41:57,400 That he did address pain aggressively. 604 00:41:57,920 --> 00:42:01,680 In all his letters, he maintained his battle cry. 605 00:42:01,900 --> 00:42:03,640 The government set him up. 606 00:42:04,040 --> 00:42:08,520 Meanwhile, those confiscated files tell a different story. 607 00:42:09,240 --> 00:42:15,620 We showed that the doctor's treatment or mistreatment of the patient was invalid 608 00:42:15,620 --> 00:42:21,280 over 99 % of the time. That also meant that over 99 % of the doctor's billings 609 00:42:21,280 --> 00:42:22,760 were also fraudulent. 610 00:42:24,560 --> 00:42:28,620 Jonathan Whitmer -Rich of the Federal Public Defender's Office now handles 611 00:42:28,620 --> 00:42:29,620 Martinez's case. 612 00:42:30,320 --> 00:42:36,220 Dr. Martinez's number one priority was to relieve people's pain, and he did 613 00:42:36,220 --> 00:42:43,060 that. But in January 2006, a jury finds Dr. Jorge Martinez guilty of 56 614 00:42:43,060 --> 00:42:49,280 criminal counts, including drug distribution beyond medical bounds, mail 615 00:42:49,520 --> 00:42:51,680 wire fraud, health care fraud. 616 00:42:52,250 --> 00:42:54,530 and health care fraud resulting in death. 617 00:42:54,910 --> 00:42:58,830 He now sits in a West Virginia federal prison awaiting an appeal for his 618 00:42:58,830 --> 00:43:00,850 conviction and two life sentences. 619 00:43:01,390 --> 00:43:05,790 So people lost their health, and they lost their freedom, and some of them 620 00:43:05,790 --> 00:43:07,310 lost their lives to Dr. Martinez. 621 00:43:10,290 --> 00:43:12,970 In an upcoming episode of American Greed... 622 00:43:13,550 --> 00:43:18,570 I look towards the door, and there's a man standing there with a gun pointing 623 00:43:18,570 --> 00:43:22,430 me. A mysterious bank robber terrorizes the suburbs of Chicago. 624 00:43:22,990 --> 00:43:25,670 I don't believe this person's going to give up peacefully. 625 00:43:25,970 --> 00:43:28,910 I believe this is absolutely going to end violently.