An investigation commissioned by CalOptima, Orange County’s health plan for the poor, found serious violations of transparency laws in a lucrative but failed property deal that ultimately cost taxpayers $450,000. The investigation was prompted by the federal bribery investigation into former Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do, who also served on CalOptima’s board of directors. Do pleaded guilty and now is serving five years in federal prison.
An ad hoc committee of CalOptima’s board asked a firm “to investigate reports that former CalOptima Board Chair Andrew Do was to receive a kickback” from the property deal. The investigators ultimately found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing by Do or any other CalOptima executives.
However, they said their findings were limited since they lacked subpoena power. The list of witnesses interviewed for the report, carried out by the firm Bird Marella, is limited almost exclusively to CalOptima staff, board members and advisors. There is no record of investigators attempting to interview or obtain documents from the property seller, a company backed by local businessmen, and brothers, Gary and Larry Nguyen…