The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that John Windom, a former executive director overseeing an electronic health records update at the Department of Veterans Affairs, faces a three-count indictment for allegedly “accepting, and sometimes demanding, extravagant gifts,” between 2017 and 2021. (Joshua Magbanua/U.S. Air Force)
WASHINGTON — A former executive who led the Department of Veterans Affairs’ modernization of its digital health records was indicted by a grand jury on charges that he concealed thousands of dollars in gifts — including cash and Louis Vuitton gift cards — received from contractors on the project.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that John Windom, a 64-year-old former executive director at VA’s Office of EHR Modernization, faces a three-count indictment for allegedly “accepting, and sometimes demanding, extravagant gifts,” between 2017 and 2021.
The charges, filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., involve the “concealment of material facts, false statements, and falsification of a record or document” by Windom, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“As alleged, the defendant exploited his senior position for personal gain and concealed gifts and financial relationships that created serious conflicts of interest in the health care of our nation’s veterans,” said Jeanine Ferris Pirro, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia.
Windom previously led the VA’s $16 billion project to modernize its electronic medical records system, at the time one of the largest information technology contracts in the federal government, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The VA announced in 2017 it was adopting the same electronic health record system as the Defense Department to facilitate a more seamless management of health records, according to a 20-page indictment.
Windom, a retired Navy captain, was appointed to a position to oversee the project, according to the indictment.
He later became deputy director of the Federal Electronic Health Modernization Office, a joint DoD-VA initiative, according to the indictment.
“Based on his training and expertise, defendant Windom was fully aware of ethics laws and regulations restricting his acceptance of gifts from prohibited sources such as a person doing business with or seeking to do business with the VA,” according to the indictment.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office also claims Windom accepted gifts of “meals, alcohol, entertainment and other services” during meetings and events at multiple locations, including a casino hotel, according to the indictment.
Windom allegedly received $8,200 in Louis Vuitton gift cards, $2,000 in cash and $1,800 in casino chips, among other items, according to the indictment.
The charge of falsification of records and documents carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The charge of making false statements carries a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison for each count, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The charges also carry potential financial penalties.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI and the VA Office of Inspector General.
