ARE YOU READY FOR ELECTION 2024?........Page 17


SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2024

VOLUME 18 NO. 40VOLUME 18 NO. 40

Compass is a real estate broker licensed by the State of California and abides 
by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. Lic. #01991628. All material presented 
herein is intended for informational purposes only and is compiled from sources 
deemed reliable but has not been verified. Changes in price, condition, sale 
or withdrawal may be made without notice. No statement is made as to 
accuracy of any description. All measurements and square footage are ap-
proximate. If your property is currently listed for sale this is not a solicitation.EWhat 
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FORMER SIERRA MADRE PHARMACIST 
BEGINS PRISON SENTENCE

CONTRACTOR 
CHOSEN FOR LIBRARY 
RENOVATIONS

By Kevin McGuire

The City awarded AMG & Associates a general 
contractor services contract for the Meaningful 
Library Improvement Project (MLIP), which was 
set to address the many renovations needed to 
improve the Sierra Madre Library. 

On Tuesday, September 24, 2024, the City 
Council unanimously approved Resolution 24-
58, amending the 2024-25 Fiscal Year Budget to 
include $1,800,000 from General Fund Reserves 
for the library improvement project. 

According to the contract, AMG offered a base 
bid of $9,542,000, alternative #2 in the amount of 
$45,000, and a 10% contingency of $960,000 for 
a total not to exceed $10,547,000. Four bids were 
reviewed before the city agreed to the contract 
with AMG. The city also received funding from the 
California State Library Grant and the California 
State Library Building Forward Infrastructure 
Grant totaling $10,000,000, matched with federal 
American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 funds. 

Director of Public Works Arnulfo Yanez gave 
a brief presentation to the City Council and 
attendees outlining the budget for the MLIP. The 
goal of the MLIP is to address several maintenance 
needs dating back to 1955, when the library was 
first constructed. The 350 W. Sierra Madre Blvd 
building requires renovations to ensure seismic 
safety and Americans with Disabilities Act 
compliance. 

According to Yanez’s report, improvement will 
include:

•Seismic retrofitting to ensure structural
safety in case of earthquakes.
•The library’s interior space will be
expanded, the book collection and meeting spaces
will be enhanced, and an outdoor community area
will be provided for public use.
•Green space improvements.
•Replacing the Library’s windows and
improving energy efficiency.
•Upgrading the fire suppression systems to
meet current safety standards.
•Addressing HVAC needs, providing a
more comfortable environment for staff and
patrons while contributing to energy efficiency.
•Asbestos abatement is crucial to ensure the 
health and safety of all who use the facility.
•


The city received several favorable references 
recommending AMG, including from La Habra, 
Santa Maria, and the County of Ventura. All 
references stated that AMG and Associates 
completed the work on schedule without 
excessive change orders. The references noted 
that “professionalism and a clear understanding 
of the work met their expectations.” According to 
the report, all references indicated they would use 
them again. 

Yanez expressed the importance of expertise 
with projects of this size. AMG holds the state 
of California’s top category review for best 
safety practices, protocols, and compliance with 
occupational health and safety regulations. “AMG 
is what we’re looking for. It fits our need. It fits our 
construction approach,” Yanez said. 

“Tonight, we have the opportunity to tell the 
community that the library is a priority. “We 
want the community to have the best library we 
can afford,” stated Councilmember Gene Goss, a 
Library Board of Trustees Representative. 

“Growing up in Sierra Madre, the library was 
where we were able to get resources that we 
couldn’t get anywhere else,” said Councilmember 
Kristine Lowe. “Any family could come. It’s a place 
of not just quietness but a place where you have 
activities that help the community. And it’s free,” 
Lowe stated.

“Communities are judged by their libraries. 
Anywhere you go in the world, it is the libraries 
that end up being the foundation of a community,” 
stated Mayor Pro Tem Robert Parkhurst. “We 
tried to do this seven times. We are able to do it 
now. This makes a lot of sense,” Parkhurst added.

It’s unclear when renovations will begin, but you 
can view the full report on the City’s website at 
www.cityofsierramadreca.gov

On August 30, 2024, Paul Mansour of 
Sierra Madre, a pharmacist who formerly 
co-owned Mansour Partners Inc., doing 
business as Best Buy Drugs (Best Buy) 
surrendered himself to Federal Authorities 
to begin a two year prison sentence. 

Mansour pleaded guilty on April 5, 2023, 
to one count of health care fraud. At his 
sentencing hearing in June of this year, he 
was fined $100,000 and required to pay full 
restitution to the Center for Medicare and 
Medicaid Services the sum of $1, 038,411.96, 
both to be paid “no later than 60 days after 
the date of sentencing”. 

According to court records, from January 
2017 to July 2022, Mansour created fake 
patient profiles in the Best Buy pharmacy’s 
digital filing system using fictitious names, 
dates of birth, and addresses. Mansour 
added fraudulent prescriptions to the fake 
patient profiles and then submitted false 
and fraudulent claims to Medicare for those 
prescriptions in the name of actual Best 
Buy patients. In doing so, Mansour billed 
Medicare for fraudulent prescriptions that 
were never dispensed to beneficiaries.

Mansour was also sentenced to serve 24 
months in jail and 3 years probation. His 
voluntary surrender to Federal Authorities 
to begin his sentence was confirmed by 
prison authorities on September 3, 2024.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney 
General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the 
Justice Department’s Criminal Division; 
Acting Assistant Director in Charge Krysti 
Hawkins of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office; 
and Special Agent in Charge Timothy 
DeFrancesca of the Department of Health 
and Human Services Office of Inspector 
General’s (HHS-OIG) Los Angeles Regional 
Office made the announcement. The FBI 
and HHS-OIG investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Matthew R. Belz of the 
Criminal Division’s Fraud Section 
prosecuted the case.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal 
Division’s efforts to combat health care 
fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike 
Force Program. Since March 2007, this 
program, currently comprised of nine strike 
forces operating in 27 federal districts, has 
charged more than 5,400 defendants who 
collectively have billed federal health care 
programs and private insurers more than 
$27 billion. In addition, the Centers for 
Medicare & Medicaid Services, working 
in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking 
steps to hold providers accountable for their 
involvement in health care fraud schemes. 

More information can be found at www.
justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-
fraud-unit. MVNews


Eileen Benson626.278.0187CalRE# 01880650Barbara Rogers626.484.8135CalRE# 01169115Not intended as a solicitation if your property is already listed by another broker. Affi liated real estate agents are independent contractor sales associates, not employees. ©2023 Coldwell Banker. All 
Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker and the Coldwell Banker logos are trademarks of Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. The Coldwell Banker® System is comprised of company owned offi ces which are 
owned by a subsidiary of Anywhere Advisors LLC and franchised offi ces which are independently owned and operated. The Coldwell Banker System fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing 
Act and the Equal Opportunity Act.
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