Posted on 05/23/2025 11:05:46 PM PDT by Libloather
Twenty people, a mental health business and a church were charged in an indictment that alleged Arizona’s Medicaid program was defrauded $60 million in a scheme involving billing for mental health treatment and addiction rehabilitation, the latest indictment in a series of crackdowns in the state focusing on sober living homes.
The indictment announced Tuesday alleged Happy House Behavioral Health LLC was paid the money for services that were either never provided or only partially completed and that there was billing for clients who were deceased and incarcerated.
Authorities say sober living homes referred clients to the behavioral health business, which received money from the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System and then paid the homes for the clients in violation of state law.
Money laundering charges alleged Happy House Behavioral Health paid $5 million in July 2023 to a Hope of Life International Church, which later wired $2 million to an entity in Rwanda.
The charges against Happy House Behavioral Health include conspiracy, fraud, forgery, theft and money laundering.
The Associated Press left an email with a lawyer representing Happy House Behavioral Health.
In a statement, Hope of Life International Church said it was unjustly charged with money laundering for accepting a donation from a licensed sober living facility that was a tenant of the church and was later accused of defrauding the state’s Medicaid program. The church said it didn’t have access to the sober living facility’s internal operations, financial practices or management decisions.
“The church’s only relationship was that of a landlord and, later, as a recipient of a donation — a donation accepted in good faith, consistent with its mission and longstanding practice,” the statement said.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Every clean/sober living place has one thing in common. Not one of them is clean/sober. Anyone dealing with alcohol dependence (i haven’t a clue about street drugs/chemicals) can depend on the 12-step program of principled living thats found in Alcoholics Anonymous...not just to get sober but to get a sane/spiritual life back. Its founded on Christian principles and simply put, the way it works makes complete sense. Stay safe.
You are paining with too wide a brush. I worked for six years at the Sunnyslope (Phoenix) House of Refuge. It was working man’s shelter that was Christian, clean, sober, and required attendance at AA meetings. It was affiliated with a Mennonite church, even though few of us were actually Mennonite.
The first two year that I volunteered there was to provide nightly Bible study training. The next two years, I ran the Bible study training arranging for the instructors. I was also on the Board of Directors. The last two years, I was President of the board of directors.
My sister bought a house for them to be used for a similar program for single mothers with children.
BTW: We never took government money!
There was an idea floating about a few years ago where some philanthropic groups had as a grant requirement that the recipients demonstrate achievement of their goals. No success...no money.
The brain dead idiots, who control government purse strings, obliviously give out money to any group who makes a good sales pitch...carte blanche...any smart crook is gonna’ tap that reservoir of cash and ignorance.
Interesting that you never mention all of the relapses that you witnessed.
That was because I was never aware of any relapses! I can’t say that there weren’t any, but I never heard of anyone being removed before they completed the two year program.
Have you ever been involved with any program, including AA? What makes you so skeptical?
I suppose our program might have been unique. I certainly visited one group which certainly was dirty. But, on the other hand, I can vouch for our ptogram and assure you that it did not have the shortcomings to which you allude.
placemarker
Ah. You were an administrator and not a “client”. You would be the last one to ever find out if at all.
AA’s success rate isn’t higher than anybody else’s. It’s addiction to saying all other methods don’t work though frankly makes it a toxic organization.
Bank robber Willie Sutton (aka “Slick Willie”), when asked why he robbed banks, he pointed out “that’s where the money is”.
When there is government money around, thieves come out of the woodwork.
Sober living, mental health and rehab businesses are ripe with fraud coast to coast, in every city.
It’s completely out of control.
I stopped drinking like Forrest Gump stopped running. It’s a tragedy that more can’t do it.
Again, you are wrong. I spent many dinners eating with the men and getting to know them. I was quite aware of the day-to-day operations as well as getting monthly updates from the site manager at the board meetings.
Every single program has a success rate of around 5%. Some work for some people, most don’t work for most people, none work for all people. But the one thing that separates the others from AA is nobody who’s gone through the others goes onto random discussion and insists theirs is the only one that works. That is a uniquely AA thing. And it’s toxic.
Its NOT specific to AA but all spiritual-based 12 step programs that restore the lost addicted persons relationship with God (step 1-3), Self (step 4-7), and the world (step 8-9). Step 10 maintains relationship with self. Step 11 maintains relationship with God. Step 12 maintains relationship with others. A looooong time ago a great spiritual teacher was asked “What is the greatest of all your teachings?”. He said “Love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself”. God/Self/Others. This concept for right living has been around since the beginning of time. For the addicted, alcohol cunningly and bafflingly replaces those basic relationships. They must be restored or the spirit remains lost.
For SOME people yes that works great. Not everybody. Not even most people. Again, basically ALL the methods work about 5% of the time. And saying any one is the only one is toxic and hurts the people for whom that method HAS failed and WILL fail. Because the ALL fail for 95% of the people who try them.
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