Months after Gallego, D-Ariz., was let go, the new private owners filed for bankruptcy and settled a federal probe of excessive Medicare charges for $2.8 million.
Sinema among top takers of private prison company CoreCivic’s political donations
Ronald J. Hansen
Arizona Republic
U.S. Senate hopeful Ruben Gallego once headed public affairs for a controversial private ambulance company that used the Citizens United court ruling to directly influence local political races and whose corporate parent was under investigation for Medicare fraud.
Gallego’s time with Southwest Ambulance began just before he was first elected to the Arizona Legislature and involved him touting the company’s community partnerships. His tenure ended when the struggling company changed hands and laid him off.
Months after Gallego, D-Ariz., was let go, the new private owners filed for bankruptcy and settled a federal probe of excessive Medicare charges for $2.8 million.
During a stint that lasted at least parts of two years, Gallego helped fund a company-aligned political action committee when Southwest Ambulance spent money to advocate for candidates in Scottsdale and Gilbert elections. His contributions to the PAC continued into 2012, though Gallego’s Senate campaign was unsure whether he was still with the company at that time and financial records suggest he was not.
It is a practice that stands in contrast to his many complaints about Citizens United, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allowed corporate money in political campaigns just months before Southwest Ambulance became active in Scottsdale elections.
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