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Blue Dog Gets Real Estate Windfall From Drug Company

USA Drug overpaid for Ross' wife's pharmacy

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff

Posted Sep 22, 2009 10:55 AM CDT
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(Newser) – Arkansas Rep. Mike Ross, a Blue Dog Democrat who’s taken a leading role in the health care debate, sold a piece of commercial real estate to a pharmaceutical company for an eye-popping sum in 2007, Pro Publica reports. USA Drug paid $420,000 for the property in Prescott, Ark.—substantially more than both a county assessment of its worth and an individual appraisal. “You can buy half the town for $420,000,” says the chairman of the town’s only licensed real estate appraiser.

The building Ross sold is the site of Holly’s Health Mart, run by his pharmacist wife, Holly. USA Drugs also paid $500,000 to $1 million for the pharmacy’s assets, and paid Holly Ross another $100,001 to $250,000 to sign a non-compete agreement, bringing the total value of the score to between $1 million and $1.67 million. Holly remains as the pharmacist under the new ownership, and, oh yeah, Ross got a $2,300 campaign contribution from the buyer's owner two weeks after the sale.

In this Aug. 7, 2007 file photo, Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark., is interviewed in Little Rock, Ark.
In this Aug. 7, 2007 file photo, Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark., is interviewed in Little Rock, Ark.   (AP Photo/Danny Johnston, File)
House Energy and Commerce Committee member John Dingell, right, talks with Mike Ross on Capitol Hill, July 30, 2009, during the committee's markup on the America Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009.
House Energy and Commerce Committee member John Dingell, right, talks with Mike Ross on Capitol Hill, July 30, 2009, during the committee's markup on the America Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009.   (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Arkansas Reps Vic Snyder, right, and Mike Ross talk about proposed health care legislation during a forum at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock, Ark., Aug. 5, 2009.
Arkansas Reps Vic Snyder, right, and Mike Ross talk about proposed health care legislation during a forum at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock, Ark., Aug. 5, 2009.   (AP Photo/Danny Johnston)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 8 comments
Face-Of-RNC
Sep 23, 2009 1:13 AM CDT
Term limits sounds good, but it leaves the real problems in place. Any corporation found to be trying to influence an election or elected official, in any way, its entire board of directors and executive management team goes to jail for 20 years hard labor. No exceptions, and no parole. First we've got to get a constitutional ammendment to revoke corporate citizenship in America, then make it illegal for these bastards to do anything but run their own bussinesses.
Robert_Dada
Sep 22, 2009 10:07 AM CDT
Agreed. Investigate thoroughly and if found guilty, imprison his *ss and fill his empty seat with a REAL progressive.
ChickenChopper
Sep 22, 2009 5:17 AM CDT
i hope that people, regardless of alignment, will see that there is an obvious and concerted effort by the health care industry to DERAIL any type of meaningful reform. it has been clear, for far too long, that votes can be bought. OUTRAGEOUS

 
real estate • corruption • pharmaceutical • Mike Ross • USA Drugs

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