This email is concerning working as an independent contractor with Physicians Locum Tenens (based in Atlanta), not receiving monies owed to me in addition to the payments previously received. Let me begin to advise that I am not the first person who has had problems either working with PLT as a 1099 employee or in some other form of fashion. There have been previous physicians, clients, and former recruiters.
In January I had a neurosurgeon work for two different clients as a locum tenens (temporary physician) for six months. One client he worked one week a month and the other three weeks per month, both clients were mine as well as the physician. I received large checks for the first three pay periods beginning mid February each totally approximately $5,000. Shortly thereafter, the amount of my checks decreased dramatically to anywhere between $1100-1728 up until (July 31st) when I received my most recent paycheck (I have not received payment in two months).
Our pay periods were bi-weekly. It was becoming strange to me so I did inquire to Gus Scannapieco, President of PLT, who stated that the neurosurgeon did not work many hours that week. The paychecks were very confusing as to which week my physician had worked because there was not any listing on the paystubs stating that he had work such and such week, so no comparison could be done to verify the hours. I had requested that the week worked be noted on all future paychecks to lessen the confusion. I was told that it would be requested and it never was notated on any future paychecks, obviously Gus lied once again that he would "take care of things."
Beginning in March, I started receiving emails from my physician stating that he was not being paid for practicing medicine of the hours that he had worked. These emails continued through the end of April. I would always address this with Gus by either forwarding the emails to him asking to follow-up, instant messaging him, or a phone call to discuss the issue at hand. Gus would state that he would send out a check that week to keep the doc quiet, but yet during the course of the one month that my physician was complaining Gus was basically lying to me saying that he was sending out the checks and he never was following through with his statements.
One client did call to inquire about the incident to Gus and he stated that there was not a problem and my physician was being paid, another lie. On April 30th, my physician called me and left a very nasty message on my VM about how he was owed money from me and PLT. I immediately called Gus to discuss it with him, he was threatening to get a lawyer to assist in receiving the money owed to him. I told Gus that we needed to discuss this among the three of us in a conference call. Needless to say we did schedule it and after changing the time and day several times Gus and my physician spoke on Saturday May 1st.
My physician was owed at the time $60,000. I was continuely being paid about every two to three weeks. Gus told me that my physician was going to be paid every 10 days until paid in full. He also stated that he going to do a payment schedule to show what invoices were paid, what the physician had made, etc. I kept in contact with him for the next six weeks or so and he never complained after that about not being paid. I had emailed him at the end of July to see how things were going since I had not spoken to him since the end of June (he went permanent June 1st with one of the clients he did locums for).
I had not heard anything from him so I emailed him again. He responded to me on August 16th and stated in his email that he had been very busy and was owed over $83,000 from PLT. I was still being paid in August when the assignment had ended June 1st and my checks were still in the $1100-1728 range. Needless to say, I flipped out when I saw the amount owed to my physician. I was still owed the permanent placement fee of $7750 as well as the locum assignment earnings totally more than $30,000.
I confronted Gus about this in our weekly company conference call on August 17th. He states that money due to us was used to pay overhead expenses during the months of June and July (database ($70 per month per recruiter), email service, conference call fee, lease on two offices, and medical malpractice), I believe along with other recruiters with PLT that they could have possibly embezzled some or all of the money After two hours of speaking to him and other recruiters on the conference call about the issue he was still oblivious that he has done anything wrong.
The EVP of the company agrees with him. Now since they have no money to pay us since the money was used for other purposes Gus and the EVP want to pay us both in a payment plan, paying us both a certain amount over the course of the next several years. They believe in their idiot minds that by starting two new divisions, selling physician offices and hiring physicians to do telemedicine, that this will supplement the income needed to pay the both of us back. What??? THE MONEY DUE THE BOTH OF US WAS SPENT BY THEM AND NOW THEY WANT A PAYMENT PLAN!!! Gus Scannapieco is a liar who has an excuse and alibi for everything. His son is his lawyer (which I don't think should be allowed by law, to bias). I have attached an independent contractor agreement. Please review and let me know what you can do to assist in this crazy charade game done by these two blockheads! Thanks!!!
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