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SHERIFF HIRED MICHAEL SCHIAVO AS JAIL NURSE
© The Empire Journal Exclusive

  Four days before joining Florida’s House of Representatives in November, 2004, Everett Rice left the office of Pinellas County Sheriff, a position he had held since 1988 and after 33 years in the sheriff’s department.

   But before he left office he hired Michael Schiavo, estranged husband and guardian of Terri Schiavo.

   The Empire Journal has learned that days before leaving office as Pinellas County sheriff, Rice hired Schiavo, a registered nurse, to work in the Inmates Medical Care Division of the Pinellas County Jail.

   The relationship of Rice and Schiavo raises grave questions of alleged impropriety in the Terri Schiavo case and ongoing allegations of conspiracy, collusion and cover-up which have resulted in calls for Gov. Jeb Bush to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the matter and the impaneling of Grand Jury.

   Rice’s hire of Schiavo came at the same time contentious guardianship proceedings were proceeding in the courtroom of his long-time friend, Sixth Circuit Court Judge George W. Greer where Schiavo was seeking to end the life of his wife by court order of Greer.

   And after Rice had repeatedly refused to investigate allegations of abuse against Schiavo.  

   According to informed sources, neither Schiavo nor his attorney, George Felos, disclosed to the court or attorneys for Terri’s parents, Mary and Robert Schindler Sr., of Schiavo’s change in employment, particularly in light of the disclosure Feb. 23 that the state’s Department of Children and Families has opened an investigation into some 30 allegations of abuse, neglect and exploitation of Terri Schiavo.

   According to pleadings filed before Greer by DCF attorneys, Michael Schiavo is the suspected abuser.

     The Empire Journal has also confirmed that the mother of Jodi Centonze, Schiavo’s live-in girlfriend and fiancé with whom he has two children was employed in the civil division of the sheriff’s department from June 18, 1979 until June 25, 1999, some 11 years while Rice was sheriff and at the same time her son-in-law had petitioned Rice’s good friend Judge Greer to end her daughter-in-law’s life.

   Rice’s employment of Michael Schiavo came just weeks after Rice had allegedly unlawfully lent the prestige of his office and the resources of the sheriff’s office in endorsement of the reelection of Greer in a televised political advertisement.

   Although prohibited by Florida Statutes, Rice and other Pinellas county public officers including state attorney Bernie McCabe public defender Bob Dillinger, allowed employees of their offices to appear in a campaign commercial for Greer which inferred that Greer was “tough on crime” although Greer is a administrative probate judge. http://www.theempirejournal.com/02230590_schiavo_judge_tv_commer.htm

    According to a sheriff’s employee, Sheriff Rice had authorized the use of the county-owned sheriff’s car and the appearance of the uniformed deputy in Greer’s TV commercial. State law prohibits the same.

    In 2003, Rice became the center of controversy in the Terri Schiavo case when Patricia Anderson, then attorney for the Schindlers, filed a motion asking Greer to recuse himself for alleged violations of judicial canons and bias. Greer has controlled the Schiavo case since 1998.

    In her affidavit, Anderson said that Rice had told her that he and Greer had discussed the Schiavo case at a ball game the night previous with Rice without other parties to the matter being present.  Greer refused to recuse himself and Rice later denied that he had made the comments to Anderson.  John Carassas, an assistant attorney general in the office of Charlie Crist, was also involved in the controversy.  http://www.cnsnews.com/pdf/2003/motion091003.pdf.  http://www.cnsnews.com/pdf/2003/flaffa.pdf .  Crist had previously denied that his office had ever received any allegations of abuse involving Terri Schiavo.

   Rice, as well as McCabe, has been directly involved in the Schiavo case, steadfastly denying requests to conduct alleged criminal investigations of criminal wrongdoing in the matter by Michael Schiavo.

    Rice and Schiavo’s attorney, George Felos, have also served on the board of directors of the Hospice of Florida Suncoast, the corporation which operates the Woodside Hospice in Pinellas Park where Terri Schiavo is a residence.

    Felos failed to disclose his affiliation with the Hospice at the time in April, 2000 when he and Michael Schiavo moved Terri to the Hospice.  However, it has since been learned by The Empire Journal that the proper certification for Terri’s admittance to the Hospice was never completed and that she was not legally designated as terminal, a requirement to be admitted to a hospice and for her care to be paid for by Medicare.  The federal government has initiated collection procedures against the Hospice of Florida Suncoast to recover some $14.8 million which they say was unlawfully paid to the hospice as a result of fraudulent claims made for Medicare reimbursement for patients that were not terminally ill and therefore not eligible for hospice care, allegedly at a time when both Rice and Felos were members of the Hospice board of directors. 

    Terri Schindler-Schiavo has been at the center of a life and death tug of way between her parents and Michael Schiavo.  While her husband has sought permission in the Probate Court of Greer to end the life of his wife by the removal of her assisted feeding, her parents have fought in Greer’s courtroom to keep her alive, saying that she could be rehabilitated with therapy and proper treatment which has been denied the woman.  http://www.theempirejournal.com/greer_schiavo_articles.htm

   Unless a stay is issued by the 2^nd District Court of Appeals or other action is forthcoming by the Legislature or other agencies, Terri Schiavo will have her feeding tube removed at 1 p.m. Friday which will result in her death by starvation in 7 to 10 days.

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