The former finance chief of a central Arkansas health clinic who pleaded guilty to wire fraud has been sentenced to two years in federal prison.
Angela Hoover, who previously served as CFO of Arkansas Pediatric Clinic, received the sentence on Thursday.
Over the course of about four years, Hoover initiated over 300 transfers from the clinic’s accounts with U.S. Bank and Simmons Bank into her own personal account or to pay for her own personal credit card, according to a May 13 charging document. The clinic used its U.S. Bank account to collect insurance and Medicaid payments, while the Simmons account was used as an operating account.
And, after receiving two COVID-19 bonus payments worth $2,500 a piece, Hoover helped herself to an additional $5,000 bonus that was not authorized by the clinic, the document stated.
An attorney for Hoover didn’t respond to a request for comment sent Friday.
In total, the clinic lost $540,599 due to Hoover’s actions, according to a news release issued Thursday by U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas Jonathan Ross. The case was filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas.
Hoover pleaded guilty to wire fraud the same day the May 13 charge was filed. In addition to prison time, she was also sentenced to one year of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution to cover the clinic’s loss. Per court records, she has already made two restitution payments totaling $440,599.
Hoover’s defense team had requested she serve her sentence under home confinement since she made those payments, had no prior criminal history, pleaded guilty and surrendered her professional license. The team also included five character letters aimed at showing her “remorse, support, and capacity for rehabilitation.” U.S. District Judge D. Price Marshall, who handed down the sentence, denied the request for home confinement.
Hoover, who previously held a certified public accounting license, was hired as practice administrator in 2019. She was promoted to CFO in August 2020. She stepped down as CFO in June 2024 and became a part-time bookkeeper. She was terminated in July 2024.
