County Officials Received Campaign Contributions From NCED
EL PASO, TX – An ABC-7 I-Team investigation revealed that the County Judge and two County Commissioners whose offices were searchedTuesday by the FBIreceived campaign contribution money from people connected to the company formerly known as NCED.
It is important to note that Access Healthsource, which used to be owned by NCED, provides third-party health administration services to El Paso County.
ABC-7 has learned the search warrants that were executedTuesday were meant to search county offices and not the people currently holding those offices.
However, an investigation into the campaign finance reports of current and former court members revealed ties to NCED.
District One Commissioner Luis Sarinana received$500 from formerNCED President Bob Jones.
Sarinana received the same amount from Thomason Hospital Board Member Arturo Duran, whose home and office were also searched by the FBI Tuesday. Documents also indicate he got$100 from Attorney Luther Jones.
Back in September 2006,FBI agents searched Jones’ home office as a part of anongoing investigation into NCED.
Current CountyCommissioner Miguel Teran, whose home and office were searched Tuesday, gave Sarinana $500.
Sarinana’s predecessor, Larry Medina, received $500 from Marc Schwartz, a former NCED consultant. Attorney Luther Jones gave $250 to Medina’s campaign.
Previous to these contributions, individuals related to NCED gave campaign contributions to people holding office in the District one seat.
Schwartz gave$1000 to former Commission Barbara Perez. She also received $250 from Attorney Jones, Access Healthsource President Frank Apodaca and the Jones Family Trust, which is run by Bob Jones, a former CEO of NCED.
There is no relation between Luther Jones and Bob Jones or the Jones Family Trust.
CountyJudge Anthony Cobosreceived $1000 in contributions from former El Paso Mayor Joe Wardy, who took over as CEO of NCED when it changed its name to Ready One Industries.
Former Judge Dolores Briones took$6000 fromBob Jones, $1500from Apodaca, $1000 from the Jones Family Trust and$200 from Attorney Luther Jones.
DistrictThree Commissioner Miguel Teran received close to$3000 from Luther Jones, $500from the Jones Family Trust and$100 from Thomason Board Member Duran.
Documents show that Commissioner Dan Haggerty, whose officers were not searched by the FBI on Tuesday, received$1,400 from people with connections toNCED or Access Healthsource.
All campaign donations were perfectly legal and only suggest who those related to NCED endorsed for county elections.
In March 2006 aFederal Committee found thatNCED violated the terms of its government contracts.
At the time,NCED was the nation’s largest participant in the federal Javits-Wagner-O’Day program; landing close to$834,000,000 in federal contracts ina period ofnine years.
Federal guidelinesmandate thatthree-quarters of the work done in companies participating in the program has to be done by severely disabled individuals.
Federal authorities found that only8% of NCEDemployees met that criteria.
However, the Federal Government allowedNCED to apply for more contracts if they agreed to boost the percentage of severely disabled employees.
Bob Jones, then CEO of the company,was forced out and was replaced by former El Paso Mayor Joe Wardy.
