Former Assemblyman Tom Calderon pleads guilty in corruption case involving Long Beach hospital

Former Democratic Assemblyman Tom Calderon pleaded guilty Monday to a federal money laundering charge in a corruption case that also involves his brother, former state Sen. Ron Calderon.

Tom Calderon admitted before U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder that he helped conceal bribe money his brother was receiving from undercover agents working for the FBI.

“Guilty, your honor,” the former assemblyman said when prompted by the judge in the near-empty downtown Los Angeles courtroom.

Defense attoey Shepard Kopp said outside court that the agreement did not call for his client to testify against his brother. Federal prosecutors made no comment after the hearing.

Snyder scheduled a Sept. 12 sentencing hearing. The plea is expected to result in reduced prison time of no more than a year, fines, a period of supervised release and the dismissal of other charges.

The Calderon brothers were indicted on two-dozen counts, including wire fraud, mail fraud, honest services fraud, bribery conceing programs receiving federal funds, conspiracy to commit money laundering, money laundering, and aiding in the filing of false tax retus.

Ron Calderon – whose trial is set for July 19 – is accused of accepting $80,000 in bribes, as well as gourmet meals and golf outings, from a Long Beach hospital owner and an undercover FBI agent posing as a film executive.

Michael D. Drobot, owner of the former Pacific Hospital in Long Beach, pleaded guilty to charges of paying kickbacks in coection with the scheme to perform uecessary spinal surgeries on patients in February 2014. On Friday, guilty pleas by three additional people, including Drobot’s son, were made public by the Justice Department.

Ron Calderon was suspended from the state Senate in March 2014, and his term in office ended nine months later.

Tom Calderon represented his Montebello-area district in the Califoia Assembly from 1998-2002.

According to the plea agreement signed Monday, Tom Calderon allowed $30,000 from an undercover agent to be fueled through his Calderon Group as payment for his lawmaker brother to support lowering the threshold for Califoia’s film tax credit from $1 million to $750,000.

Tom Calderon deposited the $30,000 into the company’s bank account and then wrote a check for $9,000 to Ron Calderon’s daughter, according to prosecutors.

“Defendant conducted these financial transactions in order to conceal and disguise the fact that the money represented the proceeds of bribery,” the document states.

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