PENNSYLVANIA – The head of the Pennsylvania Services Corporation, which provides health insurance to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, has resigned after being charged with embezzling $4.5 million from the company and failing to report it to the state.
In a statement released Wednesday, Patrick Fitzgerald, CEO of the corporation, said he was resigning effective immediately following the indictment by a grand jury.
He said the corporation has been working for the best interest of the state and its citizens.
He said he is cooperating with authorities, and thanked his supporters and the people of Pennsylvania for their support.
Fitzgerald has denied any wrongdoing.
The charges against Fitzgerald come a day after President Donald Trump announced that he was withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement, saying the U.S. would not honor it.
The indictment, which was filed Wednesday in federal court in Harrisburg, includes charges against five former employees of the service corporation.
Federal prosecutors said Fitzgerald had an affair with one of the women, but he has denied the allegation.
In court documents, Fitzgerald’s attorneys said they had not yet had a chance to review the charges and would provide a response to them by Monday.
Federal authorities also said they were continuing to investigate Fitzgerald for possible tax evasion.
