John Ford’s former business partner was front and center today in the former state senator’s corruption trial. Ronald Dobbins was a partner in Managed Care Services Group with Ford and Osbie Howard.
Managed Care Services Group was a consulting firm to Doral Dental. Dobbins admitted today that he got paid thousands of dollars a month, to essentially do nothing.
The prosecution focused primarily on a meeting that took place in 2001, in which Dobbins and Ford met Doral Dental’s president to discuss getting a TennCare contract.
Dobbins testified that Doral Dental did not want to pursue a consulting contract with Managed Care Services Group unless Ford was their representative.
The contract drafted by Doral Dental even contained a clause in which, under the representative’s death, the contract would be terminated. The phrasing was changed in a later draft to “death of legislator affiliated with Representative.”
Dobbins said that he didn’t feel that it was right for a contract to hang on one person. He says he tried to convince Doral Dental officials to change that, but they refused.
Meanwhile Judge Todd Campbell clarified the gag order he placed on witnesses. Channel 5 reporter Phil Williams challenged last week’s order. Williams, who is a witness at the trial, says it was keeping him from reporting on the court’s events.
Judge Campbell specified that he only meant for witnesses not to discuss the content of their testimonies, and that Williams will be able to report on the trial’s proceedings.
Williams will be questioned regarding documents he found in Ford’s desk after the senator resigned. The documents allegedly contained instructions for how Ford was to vote regarding TennCare issues.
For more information, see our previous story.
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