The Sacramento Bee is reporting that the FBI recently raided at least two California businesses with connections to former Assemblyman Tom Calderon and his brother, Sen. Ron Calderon, whose offices were searched by federal investigators this week.
Federal agents executed sealed search warrants at Pacific Hospital of Long Beach and Industrial Pharmacy Management in Newport Beach seeking “evidence of criminal allegations,” FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said.
Both businesses are listed as clients of Tom Calderon on a disclosure statement he filed during his unsuccessful run for Assembly last year, the Bee reported.
Eimiller said no charges have been filed.
Tom Calderon makes a living as a public affairs consultant with clients that include health care companies, according to the statement of economic interests.
At least some of the health care companies he listed specialize in treating patients going through the state’s workers’ compensation system, which directs injured workers to specific surgery centers for care.
He added surgery center clients to his portfolio after serving four years in the state Assembly that concluded in 2002.
During his time in office, Tom Calderon wrote a bill that allowed such centers to charge unlimited fees, the Bee reported.
Tom Calderon ran unsuccessfully for state insurance commissioner in 2002, backed largely with money from the insurance industry.
Ron Calderon now chairs the Senate Insurance Committee, which has jurisdiction over the workers’ comp system. Three of his bills since 2009 dealt directly with workers’ compensation insurance.
Pacific Hospital of Long Beach and Industrial Pharmacy Management are both are owned by Michael D. Drobot, a major campaign donor. Since 2001, Drobot and Pacific Hospital have given more than $600,000 – mostly to Democrats – including $130,000 supporting former Gov. Gray Davis, the Bee reported.
Ron Calderon’s various campaign committees have received $26,200 in contributions from Pacific Hospital of Long Beach and its employees since 2003.
Tom Calderon got $65,000 from the hospital for his 2002 race and another $23,400 from Drobot and other hospital executives in his race for the Assembly last year.
Drobot’s Pacific Hospital was the subject of a Wall Street Journal investigation last year, which called the hospital one of California’s most prolific spine-surgery facilities specializing in workers’ compensation injuries.
The story raised questions about small hospitals billing workers’ compensation insurers hundreds of millions of dollars. It said Pacific Hospital billed $533 million for 5,138 spinal-fusion surgeries on workers’ compensation patients between 2001 and 2010, three times as much as any other hospital in the state.
Randy, what’s the connection between this Calderon business and Noguez. I know you know.