European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 19, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 a the stars and stripes thursday March 19, 1992 adoption lawyer sentenced for baby buying thursday March 19, 1992 Houston a an adoption lawyer convicted of buying five children from a prison bound prostitute and reaping Legal fees from the adoptive parents was sentenced to probation and fined tuesday. Leslie Thacker 76, who has handled More than. 750 adoptions was convicted monday on five felony counts and faced up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 Fine. The same Harris county jury sentenced her tuesday to 10 years of probation and a $10,000 Fine. Prosecutor Lorraine Parker said state District judge Charles Hearn was to impose conditions for Thacker a probation on wednesday. Parker had sought the maximum sentence. A she is an evil woman a Parker told the jury. A she was a baby pipeline. What she was doing was getting people who were poor and preying on  defense lawyer Dick Deguerin said his client deserved probation because her ultimate goal was a to find Good Homes for unwanted  co defendant Adamina Dejesus 27, who was accused of Selling five of her seven children also was convicted after the nine week trial. She is already serving a 25-year sentence for burglary manslaughter and a drug charge. She is to be sentenced May 18 and could face life m prison. Prosecutors said Thacker gave the woman $12,723 in 1990 to coax her into signing papers authorizing the adoption of the children. Deguerin said that whatever Dejesus received from Thacker was in line with state department of human services guidelines authorizing payment to a birth mothers for food housing and other necessities. _ the defense tried to show that if Thacker had not intervened the children would have lived in squalor. They accused the mothers relatives of everything from sexual improprieties to drug abuse and alcoholism. A she sought out Leslie and in her first discussion with Leslie said a i want something better for my babies a a Deguerin told jurors. Much of the testimony entered around the twin boys Dejesus was carrying when she called Thacker from the Galveston county jail. An Austin couple paid $22,000 in adoption fees for the twins who were born in prison in april 1990.friendly hands extended to russians volunteers with hands of Friendship stack goods Northeast Tennessee have donated More than 305 collected in Johnson City tcnn., for distribution to tons of food and medical supplies to the massive re its sister City Rybinsky in troubled Russia. People in Lief  rests without calling King to testify from wire reports Simi Valley Calif. A prosecutors trying four Whites in the notorious los Angeles police brutality incident rested their Case tuesday without calling the victim _ Black Motorist Rodney g. King a who was expected to be their most important witness. Although prosecutors originally had intended to Call More than 200 witnesses they finished presenting their Case after bringing Only 19 to the stand. On tuesday the final two witnesses were los Angeles police detectives who investigated the March 3, 1991, incident in which King was beaten kicked and hit with stun gun darts after a High Speed Chase. The jurors also watched a videotape of the incident made by a bystander. The images set off heated disputes among los Angeles City officials prompting an appeals court to order the trial moved to Simi Valley a suburban Ventura county Community. The jury has seen the tape about 10 times since the trial began March 5, but it has rarely been shown in its entirety. Prosecutors and defense attorneys declined to comment about the decision on Kings appearance because of a self imposed gag order. The four defendants Are sgt. Stacy c. Koon 41 officer Theodore j. Briseno 39 officer Laurence m. Powell 29 and former officer Timothy wind 31, who was fired after the incident. They Are on trial for assault with a deadly weapon and excessive Force for the beating during the traffic  owe $200 million to u.s., study finds Washington a hospitals nationwide owe the government More than $200 million for overcharging medicare according to internal report at the department of health and human services. A few hospitals just pocketed the Money and others found no one would take it Back said the report by Richard a Kusserow the departments inspector general. The report cited a Trail of Sloppy bookkeeping double Billing Bills for services never performed and destroyed documents. The report is based on audits of 76 hospitals around the country. The results of those audits were mathematically projected by the inspector general to come up with a nationwide estimate of the overpayment. Most of the hospitals were not trying to defraud the government Kusserow said. A thus far we have determined that 57 hospitals did not have Billing practices suggestive of a wilful desire to defraud medicare a Kusserow said in testimony prepared for delivery to a House panel wednesday. A the remaining 19 hospitals Are still undergoing further  the Hospi Talso identities were not disclosed. The report gave this breakdown for the overpayment a Billing medicare and private insurance companies for the same service $123 million. A double Billing medicare $96.6 million. A Billing for services not performed $19.4 million. A miscellaneous errors $12.7 million. A incorrectly Billing for outpatient services $4.8 million. A Bills that Lack documentation to Back them up $9.4 million. That comes to a total of $265.9 million More than $100 million higher than estimated in a similar although smaller audit done in 1986. The medicare system which provides health insurance for the nations elderly is financed by the Federal government. But it is administered by private insurance companies called intermediaries a preliminary indications Are that intermediaries Are not placing a sufficiently High priority on recovering overpayment believing that their primary function is to make payments a the inspector generals report  sues Texas evangelist for $40 million Tulsa okla. Apr a woman filed a $40 million lawsuit tuesday against Texas evangelist Robert Tilton saying he continues to Send solicitation letters to her dead husband promising that god will restore his health. Tilton has been under investigation by the Texas attorney general a office since a broadcast report last year alleged that he promised to Pray for people personally but had a mail processing company Cash mailed in contributions and ignore accompanying prayer requests. Dorothy Ries 67, of Tulsa is the second widow to file a lawsuit claiming fraud and malicious infliction of emotional distress against Tilton and Robert Tilton ministries. Tulsa attorney Gary Richardson who represents both women said he anticipates several Hundred others will come Forward with similar allegations. Ries said her husband Fred who died Jan. 6 of Throat cancer saw Tilton on television a year ago and asked her to Call and ask Tilton to Pray for him. Ries said she never sent any Money to Tilton because she had none but she began receiving letter addressed to Ries Fred instead of Fred Ries a asking her to Send $100 As a True expression of her Faith. She said she wrote Tilton on Jan. 9 to thank him Lor the prayers and Tell him her husband had died. She received three More letters the latest Friday. A god spoke a Clear prophetic word to me for you. One letter said. A the wants to do a work in your Lite. Ries he wants to restore your  Dorothy Ries said the letter was a slap in the face. A the  Hurt me As much if he were to come up Here and hit me a she said. Tilton a attorney . Joyce of Tulsa declined comment