Silberman Vows to Remain on State Medical Assistance Commission

San Diego businessman Richard T. Silberman, charged with laundering money he was told came from Colombian drug dealers, attended a meeting of the California Medical Assistance Commission on Tuesday and vowed to remain on the board until his term expires in 1990.

Silberman, in an interview, also confirmed that, despite his resignation as chairman and chief executive officer of Yuba Natural Resources, he continues to receive $150,000 a year from the San Diego company in exchange for “consultation and advice.”

Silberman’s position on the medical commission pays him $40,816 annually. He was appointed to the commission, which negotiates Medi-Cal contracts for the state, by Senate Leader David Roberti (D-Los Angeles) in 1982 and reappointed in 1986.

Exoneration Predicted

Court documents released last week allege that Silberman negotiated money-laundering deals on a state phone line installed in his company office for medical commission business. In the interview, Silberman did not discuss the specific charges against him, but vowed that “the system” will eventually exonerate him.

“I’m delighted with the support of all my fellow commissioners and the encouragement” from Roberti, Silberman said. “The work of this commission has been successful. It goes forward. I intend to continue.”

Silberman said he had not discussed his status on the commission with Roberti personally, but said that “there were discussions with his staff. I was encouraged to continue.”

Roberti could not be reached for comment on whether his staff had asked Silberman to remain on the commission. Roberti’s spokesman, Robert Forsyth, has said previously that Roberti had not urged Silberman to resign as a result of the allegations.

“As far as the senator is concerned, he is innocent until proven guilty,” Forsyth said.

Wanted to Avoid Confusion

As for his role at Yuba Natural Resources, Silberman said he decided after his arrest that it would be in the interests of “the shareholders and all of our partners, as well as my own investment, to resign as an officer and director” to avoid confusion about the future of the company.

But he added that he has a contract with the company, which “I intend to fulfill and they intend to fulfill.”

Although the contract originally called for a $200,000 annual payment to Silberman, he said he recently reduced the amount he was paid to $150,000. That is how much he will continue to receive, he said. The contract has “about three more years” to run, he said.

Silberman said he is “available for consultation and advice” should the company’s current managers need and ask for it.

Marshall Mintz, a lawyer with the Los Angeles firm of Troy and Gould, which was retained by Yuba in the wake of Silberman’s arrest, said Tuesday that Silberman’s contract with the company is “being continued pending the investigation” by a committee of outside board members.

“The company has no grounds to breach the contract,” Mintz said. “All we have are allegations, which the company, pursuant to its responsibilities, is investigating.”