2 bros who ran several South Florida addiction treatment centers were sentenced to jail Friday for a $112 million addiction treatment fraud scheme that consisted of paying kickbacks to patients through patient employers and getting kickbacks from screening labs.
” These substance abuse treatment facility operators, through brazen techniques driven by greed, capitalized of susceptible patients looking for treatment,” stated Assistant Chief law officer Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Bad guy Department. “These sentences show the department’s unwavering dedication to securing patients and prosecuting deceptive substance abuse treatment centers through our Sober Residences Effort.”
Jonathan Markovich, 37, and his bro, Daniel Markovich, 33, both of Bal Harbour, were sentenced in the Southern District of Florida to 188 months and 97 months in jail, respectively.
According to court files and proof provided at trial, the offenders conspired to unlawfully costs for around $112 million of addiction treatment services that were medically unneeded and/or never ever offered, which were obtained through prohibited kickbacks at 2 addiction treatment centers, 2nd Possibility Detox LLC, dba Compass Detox (Compass Detox), an inpatient detox and residential facility, and WAR Network LLC (WAR), an associatedoutpatient treatment program The offenders gotten patients through patient employers who used prohibited kickbacks to patients, consisting of totally free airline company tickets, prohibited drugs, and money payments. The offenders mixed a core group of patients in between Compass Detox and WAR in a cycle of admissions and re-admissions to fraudulently costs for as much as possible. Patient employers provided patients prohibited drugs prior to admission to Compass Detox to make sure admittance for detox, which was the most pricey kind of addiction treatment used by the offenders’ centers. In addition, therapy sessions were billed for however sporadically offered or participated in, and extreme, medically unneeded urinalysis drug tests were bought, billed for,and paid Compass Detox patients were offered a so-called “Convenience Beverage” to sedate them, and to keep them returning. Patients were likewise offered big and possibly hazardous quantities of controlled compounds, in addition to the “Convenience Beverage,” to keep them certified and docile, and to guarantee they remained at the facility.
” To control and make use of patients looking for help in their most susceptible state is undesirable,” stated Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Bad guy Investigative Department. “These people managed a scheme that looked for earnings over the wellness of patients, and they will be held liable for their actions. With the help of our police partners, the FBI continues to examine, lower these criminal business, and secure our people.”
After a seven-week trial in November 2021, both offenders were founded guilty of conspiracy to devote health care fraud and wire fraud. Jonathan Markovich was founded guilty of 8 counts of health care fraud and Daniel Markovich was founded guilty of 2 counts of health care fraud. They were likewise both founded guilty of conspiracy to pay and receive kickbacks and 2 counts of paying and getting kickbacks. Jonathan Markovich was independently founded guilty of conspiring to devote cash laundering, 2 counts of concealment cash laundering, and 6 counts of laundering at least $10,000 in profits of illegal activities. He was likewise founded guilty of 2 counts of bank fraud associated to fraudulently acquiring PPP loans for both Compass Detox and WAR throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
The FBI’s Miami Field Workplace, Department of Health and Human Solutions, Workplace of Inspector General, and the Broward County Sherriff’s Workplace examined the case.
Senior Lawsuits Counsel Jim Hayes and Trial Lawyer Jamie de Boer of the Bad guy Department’s Fraud Area prosecuted the case.
The National Rapid Action Strike Force, Miami Strike Force, and Los Angeles Strike Force lead the Department of Justice’s Sober Residences Effort, which was revealed in the 2020 National Health Care Fraud Takedown to prosecute offenders who make use of susceptible patients looking for treatment for drug and/or alcohol addiction