Folks who work in prisons aren’t supposed to be criminals. And then there is Dr. Arthur Davida, erstwhile medical director at Stateville Correctional Center. Davida was once in private practice in Bloomingdale as an employee and part-owner of Home Care Physicians. Davida would certify that patients were confi ned to their homes and needed in-home nursing care from companies that provided such services and relied on the doctor for certifi cation. The nursing companies also referred patients to Davida’s company. Davida certifi ed patients for home nurses even though he knew that the patients, some of whom had primary care physicians, weren’t really confi ned to their homes and so didn’t need home care funded by Medicare. Taxpayers paid at least $4 million in fraudulent claims, according to a plea agreement that Davida signed on Sept. 8. On Sept. 17, the Illinois Department of Corrections discovered that the doctor who’d been in charge of medical care at Stateville since June of 2014, after the home care scam ended, was a felon. It isn’t clear when Davida, who was a contract employee who worked for Wexford Health Sources, which holds the contract for health care in state prisons, last worked at Stateville. He is no longer employed by Wexford and faces a maximum of 10 years in prison. How is it that someone under criminal investigation can work in a prison? Nicole Wilson, spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Corrections, says that prison offi cials conduct background checks on contract employees. It’s possible a check didn’t pick up the criminal investigation that wasn’t made public until charges were fi led on Sept. 2. Stephen Chahn Lee, assistant U.S. attorney who prosecuted the case, said he can’t discuss anything that isn’t in the indictment. Contacted by telephone, Davida referred questions to Wexford, as did Wilson. The Wexford human resources department did not return a phone call.