Ex-hospital CEO accused of raking in $14M for lavish lifestyle, Beverly Hills son’s $109K christening
The former hospital executive took at least $14 million from the health plan and used the company’s money to bankroll a lavish lifestyle that included a $109,000 christening party for his son in Beverly Hills, according to the explosive indictment.
Michael Sarian, the ousted founder and former CEO of Healthcare Systems of America, is accused of diverting millions of dollars from hospitals in Florida and other states into personal accounts, family trusts and other unauthorized uses while the facilities struggled to pay bills and maintain operations.
The lawsuit, first reported by the Miami Herald, alleges Sarian treated the company’s accounts as his own bank, withdrawing millions from the health plan between September 2024 and January 2026.
Among the allegations that stand out the most is the claim that more than $109,000 was wired from a Healthcare Systems of America business account to the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills for the christening of Sarian’s son.
The filing includes a social media site allegedly showing the event, and bank records that point to a baptism as the purpose of the transfer.
The lawsuit also alleges Sarian forged — or ordered someone else to forge — an employee’s signature to divert another $120,000.
Sarian has denied wrongdoing.
He and his wife, Evelina, have argued that the baptism payment was an authorized refund of money he had previously paid to help pay for the hospital and have raised the allegations as part of an attempt to seize control of the company.
The legal battle is the latest twist in a bitter legal battle for control of the hospital network that serves Palmetto General Hospital, Coral Gables Hospital, Hialeah Hospital, North Shore Medical Center and Florida Medical Center.
According to the complaint, Sarian’s transfer contributed to severe financial stress on the entire system, hampering its ability to meet payroll, pay vendors, compensate physicians and satisfy other operational obligations.
The lawsuit cited by the Herald says that within a day Healthcare Systems of America received more than $16 million in funds intended to support the operation and purchase of the hospital, $1.28 million was transferred to Sarian’s accounts.
Plaintiffs say Sarian failed to provide a complete accounting of the money transfers.
Sarian disputes the allegations and has accused Faisal Gill — a former family lawyer who now manages a Florida hospital system — of orchestrating the takeover of the company.
Gill denies that, saying that the case is aimed at recovering money that belongs to hospitals and ensuring that resources are directed to patient care.
The dispute follows a previous court battle in which the new management accused Sarian of trying to restore the hospital’s bank accounts after he was ousted as chief executive.
The hospitals at the center of the battle were acquired in 2024 as a result of the bankruptcy of Steward Health Care, the once-collapsed hospital chain that has driven major healthcare restructuring in recent years.
The Post sought comment from Sarian and Gill.
