Zoila Escobar and Cástulo de la Rocha, pictured in 2017. (Photo illustration by Julia Wick/L.A. Material, base images: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for J. Paul Getty Trust, Frederic J. Brown/AFP and Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)
ALTAMED PRIDES ITSELF ON a noble mission: providing medical, dental and HIV/AIDS care to more than 700,000 people in L.A. and Orange counties — regardless of their ability to pay.
Over the last half-century, the operation has grown from one small clinic in East L.A. into a sprawling nonprofit with dozens of health centers and more than $1.7 billion in annual revenue, largely from taxpayer-funded programs like Medi-Cal, Medicare and Medicaid, along with contracts with L.A. County.
But a new complaint filed this week with the Internal Revenue Service called for a federal investigation into whether AltaMed misuses taxpayer funds intended for the poor by paying outsize and inappropriate salaries to at least six members of its CEO’s family.
You’ve reached your free article limit this month.
Upgrade now to gain unlimited access to L.A. Material’s reporting. Your support helps us keep really good, really independent journalism alive in Los Angeles.
Upgrade now
