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[Makai]

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/7dbf.../ap-exclusive-carson-profits-friendship-felon

Pittsburgh dentist Alfonso A. Costa pleaded guilty to a felony count of health care fraud after an FBI probe into his oral surgery practice found he had charged for procedures he never performed, according to court records.

Though the crime carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison, Costa was sentenced to house arrest and probation after Carson helped petition a federal judge on behalf of the man he described as "one my closest, if not my very closest friend."

Carson defended his relationship with Costa anew on Thursday, in a statement his campaign circulated among news organizations — but not the AP.

"Al Costa is my best friend. Al Costa is my very best friend. I know his heart. I am proud to call him my friend. I have always and will continue to stand by him. That is what real friends do," Carson said.

That's different from the position Carson later took as he prepared to launch his presidential campaign. In his 2013 political treatise, "America the Beautiful," Carson wrote that anyone found guilty of health care fraud should face the "Saudi Arabian Solution."

"Why don't people steal very often in Saudi Arabia?" asked Carson, a retired neurosurgeon. "Obviously because the punishment is the amputation of one or more fingers. I would not advocate chopping off people's limbs, but there would be some very stiff penalties for this kind of fraud, such as loss of one's medical license for life, no less than 10 years in prison and loss of all of one's personal possessions."

Despite that tough-on-crime message, records show Carson and his wife have maintained their business relationship with Costa in the years since the dentist's 2007 conviction. The breadth of the two men's business ties has not been previously reported, partly because details can be obscured in property and incorporation records.

Investments that Carson and his wife made through Costa earn the couple between $200,000 and $2 million a year, according to financial records that Carson was required to file when he declared his candidacy.

Costa has also served on the board of Carson's charity, the Carson Scholars Fund, and continues to lead the charity's fundraising efforts in the Pittsburgh area to provide $1,000 college scholarships to children in need. Costa's son has worked with Carson's presidential campaign.

Friend Ben, indeed.

 

[RustyNails]

When will the secular progressive media stop?

 

[PantherLotus]

Carson's might be the first vanity candidacy to actually backfire and cost the person his livelihood.

 

[Team Alucard]

This guy really needs to fall off already.

Trump cannot be denied the nom

 

[The Lamonster]

Carson is always doing his best to implode his own campaign.

When will the secular progressive media stop?

I lol'd

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

He didn't really say "The Saudi Arabian solution" did he?

Jesus.

 

[BoboBrazil]

He's bulletproof. This stuff won't stop support from the right that supports him after all the other bullshit he has spewed.

 

[Black Mamba]

Shocking to find that Ben Carson is a hypocrite when it comes to his friends.

 

[Makai]

Read the article. I left out some good bits because the OP getting long. His friend petitioned to leave house arrest so he could go to the ceremony where Ben was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

 

[valkillmore]

There's a Happy Days joke that incorporates Carson and his friend 'Fonzie' in there somewhere. Maybe something to do with jumping a shark. Who wants to have at it.

 

[CassCade]

Costa has also served on the board of Carson's charity, the Carson Scholars Fund, and continues to lead the charity's fundraising efforts

Time to ask for receipts.

 

[Tesseract]

the dentist probably used the money to pay for carson's valium habit

 

[Cyan]

I see we've reached the Jeremiah Wright portion of the campaign.

 

[ivysaur12]

Sick of the LIEbral media trying to look into the "facts" at a God-given surgeon like Dr. Ben Carson.

 

[Jarmel]

I see we've reached the Jeremiah Wright portion of the campaign.

Pretty much.

 

[Orbis Tabula]

I really wouldn't care who his friends are and would probably call it irrelevant. However, when juxtaposed with his views on the need to be tough of criminals who commit fraud, maybe it is worth drawing attention to. People who want to be tough on crime usually only seem to care about criminals they don't know. When it's someone close, suddenly empathy kicks in.

Still, though. This probably won't be much of a story. "Liberal media trying to bring me down" is essentially Carson's campaign slogan at this point. He'll only sink if he says something his base doesn't like, today, on camera, or he'll stick around until his campaign starts losing caucuses and primaries.

 

[User 406]

Did Jesus not speak the parable of the Prodigal Son? The wayward son who finds his way back to his Father will yet be welcomed and forgiven. Unless he's a Muslim, in which case waterboard him as much as possible.

 

[……forgetit]

I think Ben Carson is a madman, but fail to see how this concerns him.

 

[wildfire]

When will the secular progressive media stop?

Downplaying that Carson can make friends with criminals and by extension his credentials as a compassionate Christian?

 

[UnforgivenTwin]

The gift that keeps on giving. His name probably isn't even Ben Carson. Odds are it's Cen Barson.

 

[Black Mamba]

I think Ben Carson is a madman, but fail to see how this concerns him.

Ben Carson: Anyone who commits insurance fraud deserves 10 years in Prison.

Ben Carson's good friend commits insurance fraud.

Ben Carson: Please Judge, go lenient on my super wealthy friend. He doesn't deserve any jail time at all.

Understand now?


It's not about Ben Carson's friend, it's about the fact that Ben Carson advocates massive punishment for the exact thing his friend did and he went to court to get him out of jail.

Ben Carson is essentially saying "punish everyone for insurance fraud, unless it's my friend the forgetaboutit."

 

[Makai]

I see we've reached the Jeremiah Wright portion of the campaign.

I couldn't fit the entire title:

Ben Carson suggests "Saudi Arabia Solution" for health care fraud, helps keep "very best friend" out of prison for health care fraud and still profits from their relationship

 

[Anoregon]

I think Ben Carson is a madman, but fail to see how this concerns him.

Nothing concerns him, other than pyramid-based grain storage.

 

[TS-08]

I think Ben Carson is a madman, but fail to see how this concerns him.

I thought that too, but the issue here is statements he made regarding how extreme punishments should be for health care fraudsters. This makes him look hypocritical when the crime affects him personally.

 

[kess]

So much for that anti-cronyism he talked about a few months ago

 

[Black Mamba]

I couldn't fit the entire title:

Ben Carson suggests "Saudi Arabia Solution" for health care fraud, helps keep "very best friend" out of prison for health care fraud and still profits from their relationship

your OP title is doesn't really draw attention to the hypocrisy issue here. Re-title, perhaps?

 

[Oblivion]

Ben Carson: Anyone who commits insurance fraud deserves 10 years in Prison.

Ben Carson's good friend commits insurance fraud.

Ben Carson: Please Judge, go lenient on my super wealthy friend. He doesn't deserve any jail time at all.

Understand now?


It's not about Ben Carson's friend, it's about the fact that Ben Carson advocates massive punishment for the exact thing his friend did and he went to court to get him out of jail.

Ben Carson is essentially saying "punish everyone for insurance fraud, unless it's my friend the forgetaboutit."

On the plus side, he says he'll ramp up the war on drugs.

 

[……forgetit]

Ben Carson: Anyone who commits insurance fraud deserves 10 years in Prison.

Ben Carson's good friend commits insurance fraud.

Ben Carson: Please Judge, go lenient on my super wealthy friend. He doesn't deserve any jail time at all.

Understand now?


It's not about Ben Carson's friend, it's about the fact that Ben Carson advocates massive punishment for the exact thing his friend did and he went to court to get him out of jail.

Ben Carson is essentially saying "punish everyone for insurance fraud, unless it's my friend the forgetaboutit."

Oh, gotcha, yeah, asshole.

 

[RustyNails]

I see we've reached the Jeremiah Wright portion of the campaign.

Tony Rezko.

 

[davepoobond]

Sick of the LIEbral media trying to look into the "facts" at a God-given surgeon like Dr. Ben Carson.

next we're gonna want to know how many times he's peed his neighbor's bed

 

[Makai]

your OP title is doesn't really draw attention to the hypocrisy issue here. Re-title, perhaps?

I assume most people skim the bolded.

 

[Makai]

10 really is Ben's lucky number. He only had $10 to apply to college. God gave him $10 so he could buy toothpaste and take the bus to church. He's given $10 for retaking a test. His friend faced a maximum of 10 years. He suggests minimum 10 year sentences.

Ben

Ten

Oh my god

 

[Veritigo_X]

At this point I don't think anything can sink this guy's campaign. He's just going to play his liberal media card again and his supporters won't care.

 

[Watch Da Birdie]

I know GAF is full of atheists, but no, Jesus was not a fraud.

 

[TS-08]

At this point I don't think anything can sink this guy's campaign. He's just going to play his liberal media card again and his supporters won't care.

It's funny because this, more than whether or not he got a scholarship offer decades ago, is something that should upset conservatives. I always hear about "liberals" having a different set of rules for themselves and their friends than for everyone else. Honestly, both sides accuse politicians of doing this all the time. And this is literally an example of that.

 

[diffusionx]

The other GOP candidates are going to town on this guy.

 

[Mrs. Manky]

Maybe Dr. Costa is...Friend Bear.

 

[Guevara]

Yeah but Ben Carson's best friend's best friend attacked his mother with a hammer.

 

[Fenderputty]

Ben Carson: Anyone who commits insurance fraud deserves 10 years in Prison.

Ben Carson's good friend commits insurance fraud.

Ben Carson: Please Judge, go lenient on my super wealthy friend. He doesn't deserve any jail time at all.

Understand now?


It's not about Ben Carson's friend, it's about the fact that Ben Carson advocates massive punishment for the exact thing his friend did and he went to court to get him out of jail.

Ben Carson is essentially saying "punish everyone for insurance fraud, unless it's my friend the forgetaboutit."

Toss in the money they make off each other and it only compounds this.

 

[wildfire]

The other GOP candidates are going to town on this guy.

Pretty much blood in the water.

 

[TS-08]

Toss in the money they make off each other and it only compounds this.

Especially since the other thing he suggested in 2013 is that the guilty party should have to give up his personal possessions. Yet here is Carson literally helping his friend acquire more possessions.

 

[Chariot]

In other news: Alfonso A. Costa's best friend is a unconvicted fraud

 

[Veritigo_X]

your OP title is doesn't really draw attention to the hypocrisy issue here. Re-title, perhaps?

I agree that the thread deserves a better title. It doesn't really convey what Carson actually did here.

 

[Revolver]

I don't know if something like this will hurt the guy. He'll just whine about the media out to get him and how they shouldn't drag everyone he's ever known into their witch hunt or something. He'll get all indignant and deflect back to Obama or Hillary and the story will just roll off him like water off a duck's back.

 

[Fenderputty]

The fact that the guy runs on a platform of being a pious man makes these even more hypocritical.

 

[gabbo]

Yeah but Ben Carson's best friend's best friend attacked his mother with a hammer.

When you put it that way...

 

[Loakum]

Ben's friend is an convict? This will bump Carson's numbers up further. It's been that kind of election for the GOP.

 

[Wilsongt]

Won't matter. If the GOP can elect a know medicare frauster as governor, this won't do anything to Carson.

 

[OuterLimits]

Ben's friend is an convict? This will bump Carson's numbers up further. It's been that kind of election for the GOP.

Lol. Maybe. Although Trump has been slamming Karl Rove all day on Twitter. Calling him a moron and an establishment failure. The anti establishment part of the party loves this since they hate Rove and company. He may go up as well.

 

[Kenstar]

I don't know about Dr. Carson's choice in friends

What I DO know is that if #KILLARY is elected it will be open season on our brave police and BLM will become a government sanctioned terrorist cell attacking those who speak against their devious ways and my two daughters won't be safe in this country