POWELL — Federal fugitive Paul Cardwell, former CEO of Powell Valley Healthcare, has been slapped with additional federal charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud in Indiana. Before moving to Powell, Cardwell formerly resided in Indiana, where his alleged accomplice still lives.

With the aid of his accomplice, Cardwell allegedly defrauded the hospital of nearly $850,000 last year through bogus recruitment, causing the hospital to post a $900,000 loss, partly due to "increased costs related to recruitment."

While the accomplice, a former youth minister at Purdue University named Michael Plake, pleaded guilty to two of 15 charges at a September trial, Cardwell disconnected his phone, dropped out of contact with his lawyers and disappeared before the trial date, leading to issuance of a federal arrest warrant. At the time he was known to have applied for a passport under the fraudulent name "Paul D. Sappington." 

Cardwell had ties to Thailand, where his name showed on golf-tournament rosters in March, but his whereabouts are uncertain.

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