Suspect In $848,000 Wyoming Fraud Vanishes

POWELL, Wyo. (AP) — Authorities say a former CEO charged with defrauding a Wyoming hospital of nearly $848,000 disappeared three weeks before his trial was scheduled to start.

Paul Cardwell is accused of billing Powell Valley Healthcare for recruiting work that was never done. Prosecutors claim Caldwell got 75 percent of the money and an accomplice got the rest.

Caldwell denied the charges. His trial was set for Sept. 18.

The Associated Press reported Thursday  that Cardwell's attorneys told federal prosecutors on Aug. 28 they were unable to contact Caldwell and didn't know where he was. An arrest warrant was issued Aug. 29.

Prosecutors say after Caldwell disappeared, they learned he unsuccessfully tried to get a passport using a fake name. Cardwell had to surrender his real passport as a condition of bond.