Former Vice President of Mercyhealth in Janesville Charged in Kickback Scheme

MADISON, WIS. – In a brazen display of greed, Barbara Bortner, 57, of Milton, Wisconsin, and Ryan Weckerly, 46, of Sycamore, Illinois, have been charged with wire fraud, with Bortner also facing tax evasion charges, in connection with a kickback scheme that netted over $3 million.

According to the investigation, Bortner, who was the Vice President of Marketing at Mercyhealth based in Janesville, Wisconsin, and Weckerly, the owner of Morningstar Media Group, a marketing agency based in Sycamore, Illinois, devised a plan to submit inflated invoices to Bortner for his marketing work for Mercyhealth. In return, Bortner agreed to provide monetary kickbacks to Weckerly for the funds he received from the inflated invoices.

The kickback scheme, which began in February 2015 and continued until June 2020, involved Bortner and Weckerly working together to embezzle funds from Mercyhealth, using the money for their personal gain. The charges against Bortner and Weckerly were a result of an investigation conducted by IRS Criminal Investigation.

As part of their plea agreement, Bortner and Weckerly have agreed to plead guilty to the wire fraud and tax charges. Their plea hearings have not been scheduled.

The tax charge against Bortner involves her failure to report the proceeds of the kickback scheme as gross income on her federal tax return for calendar year 2018. Weckerly’s aiding and abetting charge stems from Weckerly providing Bortner with a false Form 1099 for calendar year 2019 that underreported her compensation from Weckerly by excluding the amount of money received in the kickback scheme.

The case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Wegner. The investigation into the kickback scheme is ongoing, and it is unclear what other individuals or entities may be implicated.

Bortner and Weckerly’s actions are a stark reminder of the corrupting influence of greed and the importance of holding individuals accountable for their crimes. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and provide updates as more information becomes available.

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