My name is Xavier Avila and I serve on the Board of Directors of the Tulare Local Healthcare District, a position I was elected to in 2019. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to make this statement to this Court on behalf of the Board.

The Board is not asking that this Court reject the plea presently before it, but does strongly urge this
Court to sentence Dr. Benzeevi to meaningful jail time.

Although the crimes to which Dr. Benzeevi is pleading no contest are non-violent in nature, the resulting
damage caused to this community is certainly an act of violence against the public trust. Accessible
quality healthcare is essential to the wellbeing of all, and the injury to the Tulare Regional Medical
Center and the District caused by Dr. Benzeevi’s actions warrants a firm response by this Court.

Dr. Benzeevi’s actions harmed not only the trust of this community, but the wellbeing of its people. I
could recount the many stories the District’s Board has heard about people in need of medical attention
arriving at a closed emergency room; some of whom eventually suffered unnecessary injuries or even
lost their lives during the time it took to seek medical attention elsewhere.

The Board believes Dr. Benzeevi’s crimes are responsible, at least in part, for these appalling and
avoidable outcomes. Dr. Benzeevi victimized the Tulare community—including the hospital’s hard
working and dedicated staff—for his own gain, and operated the hospital to the detriment of nearly
everyone involved, except Dr. Benzeevi. Even today, in its efforts to undo the reverberating harm caused
by Dr. Benzeevi’s dark legacy, my Board is forced to fight a lingering negative perception of District
and Hospital leadership.

It shocks the conscience that all of this happened under the leadership of a licensed Emergency Medical
Physician; a man who took an oath to do no harm.

While the Board recognizes that this Court is constrained by sentencing guidelines, the application of
justice must nevertheless balance this terrible inequity, and jail time is the right and just counterweight
to achieve this outcome. The Board has heard countless pleas from the 87,000 community members
served by the District—all victims of Dr. Benzeevi’s evil and greed—for the application of significant
jail in this case. If there are facts requiring that an example be made of a community leader, those facts
are now within the purview of this Court.

In closing, on behalf of the Board, I would like to thank the District Attorney and the citizens of Tulare
who supported this process, for their collective and unwavering pursuit of justice against Dr. Benzeevi
and others. Dr. Benzeevi is now facing the consequences of his past actions because of the tireless work
of so many, and the Board’s hope is that the citizens of Tulare will now be afforded a measure of justice
long overdue.

Thank you for considering this request.