Millionaire fraudster seeks Canadian citizenship
A 66-year-old fugitive responsible for defrauding U.S. medicare system of millions of dollars is fighting to stay in Canada.
Four years ago, U.S. courts ordered Peter Rogan to pay more than $180 million US as a result of the fraud scheme, perpetrated while he owned and ran the now defunct Edgewater Medical Centre in Chicago.
Last fall, Rogan was charged with perjury and obstruction of justice for allegedly trying to hide the trusts and overseas accounts where he hid the money obtained through fraud.
But in 2008, Rogan applied to become a permanent resident of Canada and has been holed up in Vancouver ever since.
The Canada Border Services Agency has ruled that Rogan's criminal record makes him inadmissible, but he has fought expulsion, arguing he is being victimized by the authorities.
His lawyers say Canada and the U.S. government are working together to see Rogan deported, rather than extradited, which would require more stringent rules of evidence than an immigration tribunal.
The hearing looks set to continue for several months.
