Rhode Island
GoLocalProv | News | 2 Arrested in Alleged “Brazen & Egregious” Health Care Fraud at Addiction Treatment Chain in RI & MA
Thursday, March 02, 2023
L-R: U.S Legal professional Zachary A. Cunha for the District of RI and Joseph Bonavolonta, Particular Agent in Cost of FBI Boston Division. PHOTO: GoLocalProv
The Massachusetts operator of a sequence of habit therapy clinics is being charged in federal court docket in Windfall with hundreds of thousands of {dollars} of well being care fraud, aggravated id theft, cash laundering and obstruction, introduced United States Legal professional Zachary A. Cunha.
As well as, the therapy middle and its former supervisory counselor had been additionally charged with well being care fraud.
Michael Brier, 60, of Newton, MA, Mi Okay Bruining, 62, of Warwick, RI, and Restoration Connections Facilities of America, Inc. (RCCA) are charged by legal criticism with well being care fraud. Michael Brier was additionally charged within the criticism with aggravated id theft, cash laundering and obstruction.
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VIDEO: See Press Convention BELOW
It’s alleged in court docket paperwork that, Brier, Bruining, and RCCA shortchanged Rhode Island and Massachusetts substance abuse dysfunction sufferers out of a lot wanted counseling and therapy providers, whereas defrauding Medicare, Medicaid, and different well being insurers out of hundreds of thousands of {dollars}.
At a press convention asserting the end result of this investigation and ensuing legal expenses and arrests, Cunha commented, “What makes the fraud scheme that we’ve charged immediately significantly pernicious – is that not solely was this scheme, as we allege, designed to defraud by enriching these defendants with federal and personal healthcare {dollars} they didn’t earn, however that within the course of it cheated a susceptible inhabitants of restoration sufferers out of the total, real help and therapy that they should have an opportunity at restoration.”
“Immediately’s arrests function a robust reminder that we are going to not tolerate fraud schemes that concentrate on our federal well being care applications, as alleged, nor will we settle for something lower than prime quality look after the folks served by these applications,” stated Particular Agent in Cost Phillip M. Coyne of the U.S. Division of Well being and Human Providers, Workplace of Inspector Normal. “Our company’s mission is to guard the well-being of the general public and the integrity of the federal well being care system, and we are going to maintain accountable those that search to use the opioid epidemic for private acquire.”
“Immediately, we arrested and charged Michael Brier, Mi Okay Bruining, and Restoration Connections Facilities of America, for a wide-ranging scheme by which they’re accused of abusing our well being care system, dishonest taxpayers, and leveraging the opioid disaster to reap the benefits of these scuffling with substance abuse so the corporate might rake in hundreds of thousands,” stated Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Particular Agent in Cost of the FBI Boston Division. “The allegations set forth on this case symbolize some of the brazen and egregious examples of well being care fraud the FBI has seen right here in Rhode Island in latest historical past, and make no mistake, it’s not a victimless crime. Anytime the integrity of our federal well being care applications is undermined, all of us pay the value by means of the price of greater insurance coverage premiums, higher out-of-pocket bills, and co-pays, and even decreased or misplaced advantages.”
About Case
In keeping with the charging paperwork, Brier, Bruining and RCCA operated a sequence of habit therapy facilities however failed to offer the sufferers with the required counseling periods and therapy, whereas concurrently billing Medicare, Medicaid and different well being care payors for 45-minute counseling periods on a routine foundation regardless that the periods weren’t greater than quarter-hour, and infrequently solely 5-10 minutes or much less. At instances, so many counseling periods had been billed at this degree that the whole period of time can be not possible for the out there therapist to have offered in any 24-hour interval.
Brier and RCCA are additionally alleged to have precipitated a fraudulent software to be submitted to Medicare which, amongst different issues, misrepresented and hid the position that Brier was taking part in within the enterprise and did not disclose Brier’s 2013 legal conviction for federal tax crimes, which was related to Medicare’s consideration of the applying.
The Criticism additionally alleges that Brier presupposed to observe medication and wrote and precipitated to be crammed fraudulent prescriptions utilizing the names and prescriber data, together with Drug Enforcement Administration numbers, of medical doctors with out their permission.
Brier can also be alleged to have falsified a doc in a matter throughout the jurisdiction of an company of the USA by inflicting the Medical Director to signal a false and back-dated doc.
The criticism alleges that defendants precipitated hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in fraudulent billings to be submitted to Medicare and hundreds of thousands extra in fraudulent billings to different well being care payors.
The federal government can also be searching for to forfeit 13 financial institution accounts, two buildings, and two automobiles allegedly realized by the defendants because of the alleged legal conduct.
A federal legal criticism is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed harmless until and till confirmed responsible.
Assist for These Impacted
Rhode Island Division of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals is working to guarantee continuity of therapy for RCCA sufferers. Rhode Island sufferers in want of a brand new or rapid bridge prescription are urged to name (401) 606-5454; Rhode Island sufferers in want of behavioral well being referrals for physicians, counselor, or clinic data could name (410) 414-LINK.
Massachusetts Division of Public Well being, Bureau of Substance Habit Service is working to guarantee continuity of care and therapy RCCA sufferers. Massachusetts sufferers in want of a brand new or rapid bridge prescription are urged to name (617) 414-4175; Massachusetts sufferers in want of behavioral well being referrals for physicians, counselor, or different providers could name (800) 327-5050 or use helplinema.com.
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