And now Henry has a way to try and explain away the Medicaid fraud settlement involving his surgery billings. Blame the administrator who handled the billing. And he may have a case.

A woman named Sharon Gregory has already agreed to plead guilty to federal charges of embezzment. She's accused of taking more than $70,000 from her two former employers, the University of Louisville and University Orthopaedic Associates. Steve Henry belonged to that group of surgeons who operate at University Hospital. Henry claims Gregory handled his billings.

You see the picture?

In 2003, Henry agreed to pay $162,000 to settle a federal lawsuit which accused him of Medicaid fraud. Henry billed Medicaid for surgeries at which he wasn't present. But he always proclaimed his innocence, saying someone else screwed up his billings. Now he claims to know who that someone is......Sharon Gregory.

Gregory's attorney hasn't returned my phone call. U.S. Attorney David Huber says Henry's billings were far different than any other doctor in his group. Huber also says Gregory embezzlement charges involving her double-billing for her own expenses, has nothing to do with Henry's billings. But Huber will take another look at Henry's case.

Whatever the real story is, this is what Steve Henry will be peddling on the campaign trail when he's hit with charges that he "stole from taxpayers" and "cheated taxpayers": "I didn't do it. I had nothing to do with my surgery bilIings".

The problem he's got is that it's not an easy explanation to voters. And what does he say to voters who ask "if you can't keep track of your own business, how can you keep track of state government spending?" It's a legitimate question and a tough one for the former boy wonder from Owensboro to answer.