A woman with a criminal record who was fired and then rehired by the state of Wisconsin allegedly stole more than $165,000 from the state in a two-year period.
An investigation by the Wisconsin State Journal Sunday found Malilni Sathasivam exploited a serious lack of communication in the state's hiring process.
Hired by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation in 1994, Sathasivam was subsequently fired and convicted of forging checks while she worked for the state. After serving 18 months in a North Carolina prison, Sathasivam, using a different last name, was rehired by the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection in 1998. Eventually working her way into the Department of Commerce, Sathasivam allegedly stole more than $165,000 in 2000-'01, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Sathasivam faces 25 felony counts of theft for that incident.
Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle headed off to the nation's capital this weekend to discuss Medicaid reforms with other governors at the National Governors Association Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C.
Governors across the country are trying to work with the federal government to improve how the program operates in providing health care to low-income families. States are finding increased difficulties in meeting rising costs coupled with decreasing federal funding. President Bush's budget proposal calls for cuts in Medicaid funding that could cost Wisconsin $200 million in the next 10 years, according to a press release from Gov. Doyle.
The governor will return to Wisconsin Tuesday.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon threatened Sunday to suspend peace talks and escalate military operations unless Palestinian authorities act swiftly to destroy militant groups behind attacks, including a suicide bombing Friday that killed four people in Tel Aviv.
The bombing shattered two weeks of relative calm since Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas agreed to a truce. Abbas had sought to win agreement from militant groups to observe a cease-fire.
Islamic Jihad, a militant group with leadership based in Lebanon and Syria, claimed responsibility for the attack Friday night by a 21-year-old Palestinian college student who blew himself up on a crowded sidewalk outside a waterfront nightclub.
Sharon said the Palestinian Authority was not absolved of responsibilty although he was certain Islamic Jihad leaders had actually ordered the attack.
