11 charged in multimillion-dollar insurance fraud case involving surgeries on recovering addicts
The charges against the 11 defendants represent the first major prosecution by the district attorney's Sober Living Home Investigation and Prosecution task force, which was formed this year to investigate potential crimes related to addiction treatment and recovery centers.
"Exploiting addicts' vulnerabilities to conduct unnecessary and dangerous surgeries for profit is unconscionable," District Attorney
Prosecutors allege that two administrators at
The
According to prosecutors, the marketers -- identified as 27-year-old
Two doctors --
Naltrexone is ineffective as a treatment for some addictions, such as to stimulants including methamphetamine, according to the district attorney's office.
The three other doctors in the case --
Rucks and Tiemann are accused of submitting fraudulent billing to insurance companies of
All told, prosecutors allege,
"This scheme misleads the desperate and creates a hope of recovery when this implant that they're using might cause greater harm," he said.
The defendants are scheduled to be arraigned Thursday. If convicted of their specific charges, they could face maximum sentences ranging from 10 years and eight months to 43 years and eight months in state prison, according to the district attorney's office.
Rackauckas said investigating insurance fraud allegations can help combat the proliferation of unscrupulous sober-living and addiction treatment operations -- an issue that's become so widespread in recent years that
"We really have to protect not just our residents but all recovering users too," said
Supervisor
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