Pinnacol Golf Junket Cost Over $300,000

Pinnacol Golf Junket Cost Over $300,000

UPDATE: Colorado State Senate President Brandon Shaffer called for Pinnacol's leadership to step down in the wake of disclosures about the cost of a 2010 golf junket.

"The culture at Pinnacol must change and that will only occur with changes at the top. (CEO) Ken Ross and these board members should resign immediately," Shaffer said in a news release.

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Less than a year after a luxurious executive golf junket in California landed Pinnacol Assurance in hot water, details of that outing are emerging.

KMGH reported on Thursday that the Pinnacol, a state-chartered insurance firm, spent $318,717 on an outing to California's Pebble Beach Golf resort in February. Included in that price tag are $325 for pink golf balls, $39,659 in golf charges, and $7,649 for CEO Ken Ross's hotel room.

As Colorado's official unemployment insurer of last resort, Pinnacol is exempt from certain state taxes.

The firm begrudgingly released the records in response to an open records request from KMGH Denver. KMGH filed the request after reporter Tony Kovleski's heated confrontation with Ross on the company's trip.

Governor Bill Ritter said at the time that Pinnacol displayed "extremely poor judgment" for planning such an opulent trip.

Pinnacol had previously been admonished for denying claims, and for spying on injured workers.

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