Hospital owner to plead guilty to new counts

Prosecutors say the former owner of a California hospital imprisoned for his role in a $950 million fraud scheme has agreed to plead guilty to new charges after being accused of hiding $1 million earned by selling luxury cars.

Federal prosecutors say Michael Drobot faces charges that include wire fraud. They say the 74-year-old defied a court order that he forfeit the profits from the sale of the 1965 Aston Martin, 1958 Porsche, and 1971 Mercedes-Benz.

Drobot was sentenced in 2018 to five years in prison for bilking the government while being the owner of Pacific Hospital in Long Beach.

Prosecutors in that case said Drobot paid $50 million in kickbacks to doctors and other medical professionals who referred patients to his hospital for spinal surgeries.

Some patients lived hundreds of miles away.

An effort to reach a lawyer for Drobot wasn’t successful.