Fr. Corapi's "deep pockets" [Catholic Caucus]

Faith, Reason and Health blog ^ | 3/21/2011 | Brian Kopp

[Brian Kopp DPM]

Monday, March 21, 2011

Fr. Corapi's "deep pockets"

There is an aspect of the abuse allegations against Fr. Corapi and the accompanying lawsuit that many people have overlooked.

Qui tam False Claims Act lawsuit 

Corapi filed a qui tam False Claims Act lawsuit against Redding Medical Center cardiologist Chae Hyun Moon after Dr. Moon informed Corapi in 2002 that he was in immediate need of triple bypass surgery, but then told Corapi the procedure could wait three weeks. Corapi decided to seek other medical advice, and it was found he had perfectly clear arteries. Corapi ultimately went to the FBI and filed the suit that was the basis of an FBI raid, and multi-year investigation into Dr. Moon's practice.[13]

The United States Department of Justice reached a settlement with four cardiologists and Tenet Healthcare Corporation, the owner of Redding Hospital during 2005, in part due to Corapi's initial complaint. Three physicians, Dr. Fidel Realyvasquez, Dr. Kent Brusett, and Dr. Ricardo Javier Moreno-Cabral, settled for a total of $24 million; Realyvasquez and Moon, the target of Corapi's lawsuit, paid $1.4 million; and agreed to never perform cardiology procedures or surgeries on Medicare, Medi-Cal or Tricare patients.[14] Moon's medical license was eventually revoked in 2007 for gross negligence, among other charges. Realyvasquez is still practicing in California.[15]

Corapi was awarded $2,712,281 (USD) for his role as a whistleblower in the False Claims Act Lawsuit as well as the $500,000 USD he and his friend were awarded for the insurance case they filed.[16] His involvement as a whistle-blower in the federal investigation of the practices in the Redding Medical Center played an important role in Stephen Klaidman's non-fiction book Coronary.

Surely, a disgruntled former employee's abuse allegations would have nothing to do with his $3.2 million lawsuit settlement, would they?

Would a lawyer who otherwise wouldn't touch a non-credible allegation be willing to roll the dice if he thought the priest had "deep pockets"?

[surroundedbyblue]

Good post, thanks. I read about this awhile back but had forgotten.

[RatRipper]

I am not Catholic, but somehow I was under the impression that Catholic priets took vows of poverty as a routine matter. Apparently I am wrong, or this money would have likely ended up with the church.

[ottbmare]

Very very interesting! This is one case in which blog-pimping is MUCH appreciated, Dr Kopp. What a valuable insight. I will with your consent print your blogpost out and show some friends at my church, who were discussing the case this morning and wondering what was going on.

Satan has certainly been busy this Lent, hasn’t he? Father is going to be getting a lot of prayers on his behalf.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

I am not Catholic, but somehow I was under the impression that Catholic priets took vows of poverty as a routine matter.

Some orders do, but diocesan parish priests don't.

[surroundedbyblue]

Nice blog, Dr. I wasn’t aware that you had one. I will become a regular reader! Thanks!

[balch3]

I’m not Catholic either, but my understanding is it depends on which order they belong to. Some take vows of poverty, some don’t.

[Campion]

Diocesan priests don’t, but Fr. Corapi is a member of an order called the Society of Our Lady of the Trinity. I don’t know what their rules are in regard to poverty.

[mouse_35]

Their website says they take vows of poverty.

http://www.societyofourlady.net/brothers-formation.html

[StonyMan451]

Of course, we don’t know what he did with the money. He may have turned it over to his order, or given it to the non-profit ministry he runs.

[RitaOK]

....I was under the impression that Catholic priets took vows of poverty as a routine matter. Apparently I am wrong, or this money would have likely ended up with the church.”===

There is no sign that Father Corapi lives the $2 million dollar lifestyle. He is no shrinking violet nor a stranger to big money before he became a priest having been a success in Hollywood real estate. He left wealth, fame and fortune, wine, women and drink many moons ago and I have no reason to think he has a new attraction to decadence and money now. He is an infamous convert to devotion to Christ and the Church, given his background and fascinating testimony available at any Catholic bookstore.

Father Corapi fills a certain absence of masculinity in the Church today, with force and certitude and passion in his lectures and homilies, and has more than a few critics who prefer nuance to his blunt style. It is rare that a priest will so emphatically deny absolutely that the charges are untrue if he is guilty. He was Special Forces for real and will not shrink from fighting back.

[Brian Kopp DPM]

Fr. Corapi is a member of the religious order The Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT) 

The SOLT priests take a vow of poverty. I assume it went to SOLT.

[RatRipper]

As I noted in another related thread, I am Presbyterian, but I really like Fr. Corapi, and listen to him when I can. I truly hope this is proven to be a bogus charge.

I heard him tell his story about speeding from LA to Vegas in his Ferrari with a well-known actress in the car and cocaine in the trunk. He is a gifted speaker and it would be tragic to lose his witness. I was just uninformed on the poverty vow issue.

[RitaOK]

Thank you for your charity towards Father Corapi.

Sometimes in pulling up the thistles you damage the grass, or something like that. I, too, hope Father Corapi is exonerated fully and this is a bogus charge. For some reason, I believe he will be, though EWTN has known shock and disappointment before. Until this is settled, we may not get to see his program on EWTN. I noticed his hour was used or replaced with a Lenten program the last couple of days, so I was wondering if it was the Season or a temporary change until all shakes out.

[mockingbyrd]

Wish I could say this is surprising.

I have no doubt that Fr. Corapi is innocent of the charges against him.

[ventana]

I saw Corapi a few years back; he was attended to by an attractive young woman, his “niece.” I said to my husband than, “funny, she didn’t act like his niece, and he was very wordly in everyway, even when he spoke. Not like the Father Corapi of EWTN.” I told my husband I was very suspicious, and felt Corapi had lost his way. And he seemed to live in a remote area under know formality. He seemed very wordly, as I said.

[diamond6]

This is so terribly upsetting... I PRAY he is innocent and will be exonerated.

[topher]

I saw a talk by Father Corapi on EWTN where he was talking about this. He said he had to have the names of various lawyers at the time this was happening. There was also an insurance company that was involved in this fraud (they were having fraudulent medical work done to be able to file medical claims, and get insurance money.)

He said he could not believe that he had to have two or three lawyers phone numbers handy all the time.

This scandal almost caused the collapse of in the price of the stock of the insurance company because of the fraud the insurance company was involved in.

Father Corapi was also hounded by private detectives. He found one such private detective spying on him in his remote place in Montana. He found a way to get the private detective to turn tail and run (he had been black bear hunting, so to get a better view of the private detective he used the scope on the rifle to focus on what the detective.)

For some reason, the private detective's eyes got real big when the scope (with the rifle underneath) was pointed at him.

The private detective was in no danger, clearly, but for some reason, he thought it was. Maybe he was crossing the line in invading someone privacy, and new of the Special Forces background of Father Corapi.

But there is no way Father Corapi would have done anything. Admittedly, Father Corapi might have gotten too much fun out of seeing the private detective panic and run away. But Father Corapi would not have done anything to harm that private detective.

However, if the private detective attempted to harm Father Corapi or his employees, I am certain that Father Corapi would have been able to defend himself or his employees...

[afraidfortherepublic]

...somehow I was under the impression that Catholic priets took vows of poverty as a routine matter

Wrong. Some "Order" priests do, but Dioscesan priests can inherit and own property just like anybody else. A Dioscesan priest is linked to a particular Diocese, or part of the country, (although they can be "loaned").

Order priests are tied to an "Order" such as the Jesuits, Franciscans, Marists, etc. and they serve in areas, or functions, that the Order deems necessary. Sometimes they are Missionaries; sometimes they are teachers.