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1984 Cindy Became Interested in Third World Medical Help During a Vacation. "It was on a [1984] scuba diving vacation in Truk Lagoon in Micronesia that McCain got the bug to help more than just her disabled students at home. A friend was cut in an accident and had to go to the small island hospital. The McCains went, too, and were given a tour while they waited. 'They opened the door to the OR where the supplies were, and there were two cats and a whole bunch of rats climbing out of the sterile supplies,' McCain recalled. 'They had no X-ray machine. It was very rudimentary, and also they had no beds. To me, it was devastating because it was a [U.S.] trust territory. It was embarrassing.' She went home and arranged for medical supplies and a hyperbaric chamber to be sent back. Later, the hospital contacted her and said it needed an orthopedist to treat children on the island. McCain put together a medical team and returned to Truk, and that's how her medical relief missions began. She visited Kuwait five days after the 1991 Persian Gulf war ended there, as well as Nicaragua, Bangladesh, Rwanda and even Vietnam before relations were normalized with the United States." (Chicago Tribune, April 15, 2008)
1988 Cindy Founded AVMT in 1988. Cindy McCain founded the American Voluntary Medical Team (AVMT) in 1988. The non-profit organization was established to organize trips for volunteer doctors, nurses, dentists, and other medical personnel to travel to disaster-struck and war-torn Third World countries, including Bangladesh, Micronesia, Iraq, Vietnam, El Salvador, and Somalia. Mrs. McCain personally led 55 such missions.
1989 Cindy Had Two Back Surgeries Which Led to her Drug Addiction. In 1989, after two surgeries to repair four ruptured discs in her spine failed to ease back pain, Mrs. McCain began taking prescription pain medications beyond her prescribed dose. This led to an addiction that continued for four years. She admitted to using four to five times the prescribed dosage of Vicodin and Percocet. Mrs. McCain's claimed that her addiction was exacerbated by the stress surrounding the 1991 Keating Five investigation.
September 1, 1991 Gosinski Hired at AVMT. According to the Hensley & Co new hire employee form, Gosinski was hired as Director of Government & International Affairs at a rate of $4,000 a month on September 1, 1991.
1991 Doctor Johnson First Joins AVMT and Calls DEA with Questions. In 1991 Doctor Johnson joined AVMT for a trip to Kuwait and soon after joined as medical director. After he joined, he asked Cindy about calling the DEA regarding the practice of using employee's names on prescriptions and she suggested he call Barbara Roberts.
1991/1992 Cindy Drug Rehabilitation in Wickenburg, Arizona. Mrs. McCain admits that she acquired a drug dependency for Percocet because of a back problem and received rehabilitation in Wickenburg Arizona during 1991 & 1992."
She did admit that she became dependant on pain killers after having back surgery and in 1992 spent approximately one week in a rehabilitation program in Wickenburg Arizona."
"Cindy told the reporters that she finally entered The Meadows, a drug-treatment center in Wickenburg, and went to anti-dependency meetings twice a week." (Arizona Republic, October 3, 1999)
NOTE: Reportedly as of September 1994, Cindy Had Not Been Accepted Into a Diversion Program (Phoenix New Times, September 8. 1994, http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com...
April 24, 1992 Doctor Johnson Wrote Two Prescriptions in Gosinski's Name. On April 24, 1992 Doctor Johnson wrote two prescriptions in Mr. Gosinski's name to obtain drugs for an AVMT mission, one for 100 Vicodin and one for 100 Tylenol 3.
May 1992 Doctor Johnson Wrote Prescriptions that are Not in the DEA Database. "Well I don't think they, they were filled because I think that the DEA would, would have a record of those but there's no record of those particular prescriptions, see the only records they got are the prescriptions where the ones that I had made for the, for at the hospital's request in 1992, I think in May of 1992 and then there were two prescriptions I think that for controlled substances for the El Salvador trip and that t was I think it was those were all written at the same time... See now I just assumed that those, those, those were filled and until that I had the interview with DEA and they talked to me about that, I assumed that the prescriptions that I had written prior to the Bangladesh trip were in the bunch and they weren't and it came as a surprise to them and it came to an surprise to me because they, they didn't have a record of those."
1992 Doctors Began Complaining that Cindy was Using Their DEA Numbers; DEA Began Calling AVMT About Large Orders of Percocet. "The previous year [1992], volunteer doctors began complaining that Cindy McCain had been using their DEA numbers. The Drug Enforcement Agency itself had been calling and asking about rather sizable orders of Percocet, an addictive painkiller. Hundreds of Percocets were missing from AMVT's inventory." (Salon, July 2, 1999)
October 5, 1992 JOURNAL: Hensley's Pilot Dalton Smith Knew Details of Pre-1992 Cindy Overdose During Which John Rushed to the Hospital to Remove Cindy. "Last Friday, late in the afternoon, Miss Jeri was visiting with Dalton Smith, the Hensley's pilot, about Jim and Smitty confronting Cindy about her drug problem. During the conversation Dalton mentioned an incident which took place a couple of years ago - Cindy had taken too many pills and had been rushed to a hospital near their home on Oak Creek. John McCain was rushed to the hospital and rather than helping Cindy obtain help he had her dismissed from the hospital and taken to the cabin. I had assumed the entire family knew of the incident as Kathy Walker had mentioned it to me many months ago but come to find out Jeri and the Hensley's knew nothing of it." (Journal, October 5, 1992)
October 7, 1992 JOURNAL: Anonymous Caller Told the DEA to Look Into Cindy McCain; Kathy and Doctor Johnson Traveled to DEA to Dispose of Drugs. "This morning Cindy called me to inform me that she and Max Johnson had contacted the DEA and asked that an investigation be conducted to 'investigate allegations made against her.' She said a 'bogus' phone call had been received which made wild accusations about her and that she believed the phone call was 'political.' Cindy also said she had called the supposed originator of the call and that the individual denied ever making the call. No time during her discussion with me did Cindy state Dr. Tom Moffo's name. Cindy went on to state that Kathy would be accompanying Max Johnson to the DEA this afternoon to dispose of drugs in AVMT's possession. She again stated that she had asked for a followup investigation of the accusations of yesterday." (Journal, October 7, 1992)
January 14, 1993 Gosinski Terminated from AVMT. On January 14, 1993 Gosinski's was terminated from AVMT due to "financial constraints."
"It is with deep regret and a heavy heart that I must terminate your position with AVMT. Your termination is due to the decline in contributions and our inability to continue to pay you at this time. Your service both to a small non profit such as we are and more importantly to the suffering peoples of the world is commendable. You have made a financial sacrifice to join us as well as a personal sacrifice. The many missions you have helped organize and participate in have saved countless lives around the world. Your service is indeed laudable and your commitment to those less fortunate in far away countries will not soon be forgotten. I have enjoyed our professional relationship and your efforts will missed. AVMT is prepared to supply you with a month salary as compensation as well as a whatever assistance I can offer in helping you secure a new position in Arizona or wherever you choose. You are a fine young man and I wish you well." (Letter from Cindy McCain to Tom Gosinski, January 14, 1993)
February 1993 Gosinski Approached DEA: In February 1993, Gosinski approached an agent from the DEA and posed a "what-if" scenario, asking, "If a person knows that prescriptions have been written in their name, and they never met with the doctor and they don't know the whereabouts of the drugs, what is their responsibility?" When the DEA agent informed Gosinski that it would be his responsibility to report such activity, Gosinski began to cooperate with the DEA. Gosinski maintains that he did not approach the DEA with the intent to blow the whistle on Mrs. McCain, but to keep his name clear in any potential investigation that might result from Mrs. McCain's activity. Over the next eighteen months he would meet with DEA agents over fifteen times.
1993 AVMT Failed to Provide a Fair Recommendation to Potential Gosinski Employers. After Gosinski left AVMT, Tracy Orrick stated that four or five prospective employers did call AVMT requesting to speak with the personnel manager. Tracy said she turned these calls over to Kathy Walker but Walker said she never talked to potential employers. Gosinski found it very difficult to find employment.
January 14, 1994 Gosinski Filed Wrongful Termination Against Cindy McCain/AVMT: On January 14, 1994, Gosinski filed a civil suit for wrongful termination against AVMT. Gosinski felt that his firing was not due to budget issues, as Cindy McCain claimed, but because he had become too knowledgeable about Cindy McCain's drug issues. Gosinski also sued for libel and slander because Cindy McCain, he charged, had badmouthed Gosinski when he tried to get another job. Gosinski further alleged that Cindy had asked him to lie to make it easier for her to adopt a baby from Bangladesh.
January 15, 1994 One-Year Statute of Limitations on Gosinski's Lawsuit
February 1994 Gosinski Lawyer Requested Settlement of Suit. "On February 4, 1994, Mrs McCain [through her lawyers] received a civil complaint along with a letter from Mr. Stanley Lubin, Attorney at Law. The letter indicated that Mr. Lubin was retained as legal counsel by Thomas Gosinski in a lawsuit against Mrs. McCain. Later in February 1994, Gosinski's attorney Stan Lubin wrote a letter to one of McCain's attorneys, Gary Stuart, asking for a $250,000 settlement. That offer was not agreed to.
April 28, 1994 McCain Lawyer (Dowd) Approached Maricopa County Attorney to Open an Extortion Investigation into Gosinski. In retaliation to Gosinski's wrongful termination suit, McCain attorney John Dowd requested that Maricopa County Attorney Richard Romley to open an extortion investigation against Gosinski. In a letter from Dowd to Romley on April 28, 1994, Dowd wrote, "we believe that Mr. Gosinski is aware that in the past Cindy had an addiction to prescription painkillers . . . Given Cindy's public position, exposure of this sensitive matter would harm her reputation, career, the operation of AVMT, and subject her to contempt and ridicule."
May 10, 1994 Maricopa County Division Chief Requests Investigation Into Possible Extortion Attempt on Cindy McCain. "On May 10, 1994, I was requested by Division Chief, Bobby Joyner, to look into a possible extortion attempt involving Mrs. Cindy McCain... The initial information was turned over to the Maricopa county Attorney's Office by Investigative lead, John Dowd. Mr. Dowd represents Mrs. McCain and contacted our office from his Washington D.C. office on April 28, 1994." (Maricopa County Investigation Report Summary, July 12, 1994, pages 2-3)
May 12, 1994 Maricopa County Investigators Contact Cindy McCain. Deputy County Attorney Richard Mesh and investigator Terry Blake contacted Cindy McCain for the purpose of interviewing her in reference to a May 10 request by Division Chief Bobby Joyner to look into a possible extortion attempt by Tom Gosinski.
May 12, 1994 Cindy McCain Admitted DEA Investigation Into AVMT Drug Procedure. During a May 12, 1994 interview with investigators "she said a DEA investigation is being conducted at this time into the process the corporation uses in obtaining their prescription drugs." (Maricopa County Investigation Report Summary, July 12, 1994, page 8)
May 19, 1994 AVMT Employees Interviewed. On May 19, 1994 the Maricopa County investigator interviewed investigative leads, Kathy Walker and Tracey Orrick, at 4201 North Avenue.
June 15, 1994 Hensley & Co Pilot Interviewed. On June 15, 1994 Maricopa County investigators interviewed King Aviation pilot Dalton Smith.
May/June 1994 Doctor Johnson Interviewed by DEA Officials Regarding the AVMT Investigation. Doctor Johnson said on June 29, 1994 that he was interviewed "about a month ago" by DEA officials.
August 19, 1994 John McCain's Political Strategist Arranged Private Meeting with Friendly Journalists and Cindy McCain. "In August 1994, a group of Valley journalists received an unusual phone call from Jay Smith, McCain's political strategist. They were offered an exclusive story in exchange for agreeing to certain terms. They would attend individual interview sessions Aug. 19 and sit on the story until Aug. 22. The five journalists - three print reporters, a television reporter and a radio reporter - agreed. One by one, they went to the McCain home, where they heard an incredible story. Cindy McCain, 40, told them that she had been a drug addict for three years. From 1989 to 1992, as the Keating Five made headlines, she was addicted to Percocet and Vicodin. Worse, she had stolen pills from the American Voluntary Medical Team, a relief organization that she founded to aid Third World countries." (Arizona Republic, "Overcoming scandal, moving on," March 1, 2007)
August 22, 1994 Phoenix New Times Requested Maricopa County Investigation, McCain's Political Team Flew to Phoenix for Damage Control. When an edited copy of the Maricopa County investigation was set to be released on August 22, 1994, in response to a Phoenix New Times public information request, Senator McCain's political strategist Jay Smith arranged for Mrs. McCain to preempt that release by meeting with a select group of reporters to disclose her prior drug addiction, which she did on August 19, 1994.
1994 No Charges Filed Against Gosinski; No DEA Charges Filed Against Cindy McCain
1995 Doctor Johnson Forced to Relinquish his Medical License for Writing Fraudulent Prescriptions. Following an investigation by the Arizona Board of Medical Examiners in 1995, Johnson admitted to writing fraudulent prescriptions and was forced to relinquish his medical license. As a result, he was prohibited from practicing medicine anywhere in the United States.
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