All 2020 News (California and National)
12/22/20 Butte Sheriff: President of addiction treatment center stole money from dead resident
12/5/20 Sober living, addiction treatment conflicts return to California lawmakers’ crosshairs
Summary of some bills currently rolling out in the California legislature.
11/30/20 US Justice Department alleges Hinsdale violated Fair Housing Act over effort against sober living home (IL)
DOJ wades in with case against city that precluded recovery residence
11/20/20 Sober living home permit plan wins initial support from Encinitas council
Encinitas considering Costa Mesa-like rules.
11/19/20 Opponents of Del Mar re-zoning will get referendum
Citizens generate referendum on turning residential zone multi-family
11/3/20 Inglewood Women Plead Guilty to Running Half Million-Dollar Scheme
10/26/20 San Jose: Ex-manager of sober-living house arrested for alleged sex assaults
10/2/20 San Diego Laboratory Phamatech Agrees to Pay $3 Million to Settle Fraudulent Medicare Billing Case
10/20/20 AG sues addiction treatment center chain for alleged Medicaid fraud
Mass. Attorney General sues treatment center for fraud against state health insurance.
9/26/20 Rehab Riviera: What has happened since our series? (OC Register)
Not nearly enough. We need representatives to take action.
9/26/20 Timmy Solomon, a guide through the Rehab Riviera system, dies of overdoes at 31 (OC Reigster)
The worst outcome of the challenge of staying sober.
9/23/20 Venice man sentenced to 13 years in prison for selling fatal dose of fentanyl to sober living home resident
Drug dealers distribute to recovery residence occupants.
9/23/20 Organized opposition forms against Denver’s controversial group-living plan
Coming to a neighborhood near you: 40 person group homes.
9/11/20 Covid-19 is destroying the rehab industry
Far more likely: attracting only addicts committed to recovery, thus driving shoddy operators out of business. Cost increase is only 3.4% according to Caron Treatment Centers.
9/8/20 2 More Men Admit Roles in Scam to Bribe NJ Drug Addicts: Feds
Bribed NJ residents to seek out drug rehab centers in California
Patient reported “everyone’s high” at the rehab center.
9/6/20 Encinitas restarts permit process for sober living group homes
Encinitas’ Costa-Mesa-like regulations will be voted on in October
7/26/20 Doctor’s life of luxury built on backs of drug users, prosecutors say
$676 million in billings, $1000 paid to addicts to get implants
7/25/20 "Recovery Home" on Planning Commission agenda Tuesday
24 beds in Ridgecrest, CA, bumping up a 6 bed house to 8 beds.
7/22/20 Rehab Center CEO Petitions on Behalf of Black Addicts (FL)
Black people disproportionately receive fewer addiction treatment dollars in the U.S.
7/15/20 “The Rehab Mogul” sentenced to 52 years for assault, running $175 million healthcare billing scam
“‘He was kidnapping and drugging and raping lots of girls.’"
7/7/20 The work cure
“…300 drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities...required participants to work long hours without pay.”
7/3/20 OC district attorney charges surgeon, girlfriend with sober living home insurance fraud (CA)
Surgeon recruited addicts for experimental naltrexone implant surgery
7/2/20 “Google cannot stop it, control it or curtail it…” Inside the murky world of fake addiction treatment center search spam
How search engines turn addicts to lead-generation companies that sell patients to the highest bidder.
7/2/20 The killing of 25 people at a drug rehab center in Mexico thought to be part of a gang war
“The targeting of such centers is typically linked to conflicts involving drug dealing."
6/29/20 Ten Defendants Charged in $1.4 Billion Rural Hospital Pass-Through Billing Scheme
Businesses took over struggling hospitals, billed private insurance for urine testing.
6/19/20 5 charged in $11.7 million Southern California addiction treatment fraud scheme
Rehab operators trafficked 441 patients to 19 treatment centers, including ones in San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano
6/18/20 Employers Should Brace for Increased Employee Substance Misuse
“…Trauma, economic distress and unemployment increase risk for…substance use disorders."
6/12/20 Founder of Auburn recovery support group charged with felony trespassing
In his ex-girlfriends apartment with a handgun.
6/10/20 Costa Mesa’s win against sober living home affirmed by U.S. Court of Appeals
The city can regulate where and how they operate.
6/4/20 Sober living homes subject to new laws, fees
Operators argued that they were unfairly targeted by state laws regulating them.
Federal judge concludes they will not suffer irreparable harm. Judge argues
the state must prove the laws benefit those served.
5/25/20 Addiction rehab centers report small number of coronavirus infections
They don’t report runaways or missing adults;
why would the state expect them to voluntarily report infections?
5/20/20 “Patient Broker” Admits Bribing NJ Addicts to Fly to Cali Rehab Clinics That Paid Him Kickbacks
The State of California has no penalties in place for this kind of human trafficking.
5/18/20 Malibu’s Drug and Alcohol Residential Rehab Centers Remain Open During Coronavirus
Claimed to be deemed “essential services,” but weren’t on the list?
4/25/20 Google, Facebook. Twitter team up to support addiction recovery during pandemic
They couldn’t be looking for a way to profit off of addiction, could they? Oh, here is how they
will help you raise money like GoFundMe…
4/19/20 Sandusky mental health, addiction treatment center identified as coronavirus case cluster
Another treatment center has infections. All positives are employees.
4/15/20 Winning Streak for Costa Mesa as it battles sober living home lawsuits
Firm representing multiple suits says it will take the suits to 9th Circuit Court
of Appeals… failed to mention it will take its clients to the cleaners as well.
3/26/20 With Meetings Banned, Millions Struggle To Stay Sober On Their Own
"The first 90 days of recovery are typically structured with activities to
distract from drinking or using drugs, including two daily meetings,
plus travel time.”
3/25/20 During the Coronavirus Crisis, L.A.’s Rehab Centers Are Still Addressing...
Patients forego massage and yoga, so businesses can still profit by
shuffling recovering addicts.
3/16/20 Addiction Treatment Facilities: Are They Prepared For the Covid-19...?
Contributor to Forbes, a physician, proposes sensible tactics few operators are
taking.
3/12/20 How many body-brokering cases have been prosecuted by the feds under new law?
Answer: Zero.
3/11/20 A new, big review of the evidence found that Alcoholics Anonymous works - for some
Quote in article claims up to 33%, but no science cited, just that it works better than
other therapies for alcohol addiction.
3/5/20 History of addiction doesn’t automatically mean people are disabled, federal judge rules
Finally, a court that is interested in the facts.
3/4/20 Person rescued, Another Person Suspected of Arson After Suisun City House Fire
Fire, again, at a sober living home, from a cigarette.
3/2/20 She wanted addiction treatment. She ended up in the relapse capital of America
Advocates for Responsible Treatment quoted in this national article about fraud and abuse.
2/27/20 New California bill would pay meth users for staying sober
Cash to addicts. What could go wrong?
2/26/20 County announces high-intensity drug rehab program for frequent mental health patients
San Diego trying to get on top of addicts that are referred to psychiatric care due to symptoms.
2/25/20 America’s addiction treatment misses the mark
Summary of key points.
2/24/20 Disabled by Addiction? Prove it, federal judge says to recovery home suing Costa Mesa
Home can’t make blanket claim that everyone deserves federal protections.
2/23/20 Common practice promotes treating one addiction at a time. It’s time to rethink that
Addicts who abandoned nicotine as well were likelier to complete treatment.
2/20/20 Uninsured receive free opioid-addiction treatment through federally funded program
In California, 395 more prescribers and 21,800 addicts starting methadone, buprenorphine or naltrexone.
2/20/2020 Westlake sober living home gets green light from judge (TX)
This is important and unusual because judge concluded that 12 people can live in a single
family home--that normally holds up to 6 adults--in a gated community because the business
claimed it wouldn’t be profitable with only six. “One thing we forget about in sober living is that
we’re really in the real estate business,” says operator.
2/20/20 Farmington says new approach to addressing intoxication yielded positive results (NM)
The intoxicated are walking in and requesting an 11-hour stay. Others are brought in by an
“Alternative Response Unit,” consisting of a driver and EMT.
2/20/20 Fraud in The Addiction Rehab Industry Could Put Millions At Risk
“There’s no incentive for people to make these folks sober…"
2/14/20 After bad start to 2020 with overdoses, Lake Worth Beach beefs up chronic nuisance ordinance (FL)
Ordinance defines three or more calls for emergency services in six months as “chronic nuisance”
that requires a process.
2/14/20 State House OKs bill to speed up in-take rehab process for those battling addiction (WA)
Removes pre-authorization requirements, which has not slowed down any rehab in California.
Tragically, expect to see more unscrupulous operators in Washington.
2/12/20 Dueling Lawsuits Between Malibu Rehab Centers Expose the Shady Side of the Recovery Industry
TheFix secretly owned by Cliffside—far from impartial and used as a lead generator.
2/6/20 Costa Mesa recovers $61,000 in costs from defending sober-living home ordinance against lawsuit
Costa Mesa won a suit defending its ordinances and recovered expenses related to its suit.
1/31/20 Investors Taking Wait-and-See Approach to Addiction Treatment Sector
Because it’s full of fraud? Criminals? “Certainly, there is still a market for quality providers…"
1/29/20 Bill forbidding lies in rehab marketing re-introduced in State Senate
Another common-sense bill, introduced by State Sen. Pat Bates, tries to run the gauntlet
1/28/20 County supervisors tighten rules on sober living homes, addiction treatment facilities.
1000 feet of separation is the maximum in California.
1/28/20 Behavioral Health Providers Plot Conversions of Former Nursing Homes Across the Country
Addiction and mental health treatment in former nursing homes has ambiguous regulation.
1/17/20 5 Arrested in $3.2 million Southern California sober living home fraud scheme
Rehab, Casa Bella, that fought insurance companies for additional payments found to be bilking insurance.
1/17/20 Ten teen rehabs have sprouted in OC’s eclectic equestrian corner, Orange Park Acres
Chaos and endangerment when a single operator over concentrates in a residential neighborhood.
1/15/20 Body brokering, where addicts are sold as investments, can continue in sober homes, for now
A common sense bill, sponsored by State Sen. Pat Bates, is once again turned down by Sacramento.
1/13/20 Getting Clean: City Pursues Legal Methods to Clean House When It Comes to Sober Living
Dana Point gets court order to enter recovery residences operating without licenses. Finds as many as 13 beds.
1/10/20 Study links Medicaid expansion to 6 percent reduction in opioid overdoes deaths
Unfortunately, also tied to increase in methadone-related deaths.
1/7/20 Rehab Owner Pleads No Contest in Connection With $175 Million Insurance Fraud Scheme
Still awaiting sentencing for his sex crimes.
12/5/20 Sober living, addiction treatment conflicts return to California lawmakers’ crosshairs
Summary of some bills currently rolling out in the California legislature.
11/30/20 US Justice Department alleges Hinsdale violated Fair Housing Act over effort against sober living home (IL)
DOJ wades in with case against city that precluded recovery residence
11/20/20 Sober living home permit plan wins initial support from Encinitas council
Encinitas considering Costa Mesa-like rules.
11/19/20 Opponents of Del Mar re-zoning will get referendum
Citizens generate referendum on turning residential zone multi-family
11/3/20 Inglewood Women Plead Guilty to Running Half Million-Dollar Scheme
10/26/20 San Jose: Ex-manager of sober-living house arrested for alleged sex assaults
10/2/20 San Diego Laboratory Phamatech Agrees to Pay $3 Million to Settle Fraudulent Medicare Billing Case
10/20/20 AG sues addiction treatment center chain for alleged Medicaid fraud
Mass. Attorney General sues treatment center for fraud against state health insurance.
9/26/20 Rehab Riviera: What has happened since our series? (OC Register)
Not nearly enough. We need representatives to take action.
9/26/20 Timmy Solomon, a guide through the Rehab Riviera system, dies of overdoes at 31 (OC Reigster)
The worst outcome of the challenge of staying sober.
9/23/20 Venice man sentenced to 13 years in prison for selling fatal dose of fentanyl to sober living home resident
Drug dealers distribute to recovery residence occupants.
9/23/20 Organized opposition forms against Denver’s controversial group-living plan
Coming to a neighborhood near you: 40 person group homes.
9/11/20 Covid-19 is destroying the rehab industry
Far more likely: attracting only addicts committed to recovery, thus driving shoddy operators out of business. Cost increase is only 3.4% according to Caron Treatment Centers.
9/8/20 2 More Men Admit Roles in Scam to Bribe NJ Drug Addicts: Feds
Bribed NJ residents to seek out drug rehab centers in California
Patient reported “everyone’s high” at the rehab center.
9/6/20 Encinitas restarts permit process for sober living group homes
Encinitas’ Costa-Mesa-like regulations will be voted on in October
7/26/20 Doctor’s life of luxury built on backs of drug users, prosecutors say
$676 million in billings, $1000 paid to addicts to get implants
7/25/20 "Recovery Home" on Planning Commission agenda Tuesday
24 beds in Ridgecrest, CA, bumping up a 6 bed house to 8 beds.
7/22/20 Rehab Center CEO Petitions on Behalf of Black Addicts (FL)
Black people disproportionately receive fewer addiction treatment dollars in the U.S.
7/15/20 “The Rehab Mogul” sentenced to 52 years for assault, running $175 million healthcare billing scam
“‘He was kidnapping and drugging and raping lots of girls.’"
7/7/20 The work cure
“…300 drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities...required participants to work long hours without pay.”
7/3/20 OC district attorney charges surgeon, girlfriend with sober living home insurance fraud (CA)
Surgeon recruited addicts for experimental naltrexone implant surgery
7/2/20 “Google cannot stop it, control it or curtail it…” Inside the murky world of fake addiction treatment center search spam
How search engines turn addicts to lead-generation companies that sell patients to the highest bidder.
7/2/20 The killing of 25 people at a drug rehab center in Mexico thought to be part of a gang war
“The targeting of such centers is typically linked to conflicts involving drug dealing."
6/29/20 Ten Defendants Charged in $1.4 Billion Rural Hospital Pass-Through Billing Scheme
Businesses took over struggling hospitals, billed private insurance for urine testing.
6/19/20 5 charged in $11.7 million Southern California addiction treatment fraud scheme
Rehab operators trafficked 441 patients to 19 treatment centers, including ones in San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano
6/18/20 Employers Should Brace for Increased Employee Substance Misuse
“…Trauma, economic distress and unemployment increase risk for…substance use disorders."
6/12/20 Founder of Auburn recovery support group charged with felony trespassing
In his ex-girlfriends apartment with a handgun.
6/10/20 Costa Mesa’s win against sober living home affirmed by U.S. Court of Appeals
The city can regulate where and how they operate.
6/4/20 Sober living homes subject to new laws, fees
Operators argued that they were unfairly targeted by state laws regulating them.
Federal judge concludes they will not suffer irreparable harm. Judge argues
the state must prove the laws benefit those served.
5/25/20 Addiction rehab centers report small number of coronavirus infections
They don’t report runaways or missing adults;
why would the state expect them to voluntarily report infections?
5/20/20 “Patient Broker” Admits Bribing NJ Addicts to Fly to Cali Rehab Clinics That Paid Him Kickbacks
The State of California has no penalties in place for this kind of human trafficking.
5/18/20 Malibu’s Drug and Alcohol Residential Rehab Centers Remain Open During Coronavirus
Claimed to be deemed “essential services,” but weren’t on the list?
4/25/20 Google, Facebook. Twitter team up to support addiction recovery during pandemic
They couldn’t be looking for a way to profit off of addiction, could they? Oh, here is how they
will help you raise money like GoFundMe…
4/19/20 Sandusky mental health, addiction treatment center identified as coronavirus case cluster
Another treatment center has infections. All positives are employees.
4/15/20 Winning Streak for Costa Mesa as it battles sober living home lawsuits
Firm representing multiple suits says it will take the suits to 9th Circuit Court
of Appeals… failed to mention it will take its clients to the cleaners as well.
3/26/20 With Meetings Banned, Millions Struggle To Stay Sober On Their Own
"The first 90 days of recovery are typically structured with activities to
distract from drinking or using drugs, including two daily meetings,
plus travel time.”
3/25/20 During the Coronavirus Crisis, L.A.’s Rehab Centers Are Still Addressing...
Patients forego massage and yoga, so businesses can still profit by
shuffling recovering addicts.
3/16/20 Addiction Treatment Facilities: Are They Prepared For the Covid-19...?
Contributor to Forbes, a physician, proposes sensible tactics few operators are
taking.
3/12/20 How many body-brokering cases have been prosecuted by the feds under new law?
Answer: Zero.
3/11/20 A new, big review of the evidence found that Alcoholics Anonymous works - for some
Quote in article claims up to 33%, but no science cited, just that it works better than
other therapies for alcohol addiction.
3/5/20 History of addiction doesn’t automatically mean people are disabled, federal judge rules
Finally, a court that is interested in the facts.
3/4/20 Person rescued, Another Person Suspected of Arson After Suisun City House Fire
Fire, again, at a sober living home, from a cigarette.
3/2/20 She wanted addiction treatment. She ended up in the relapse capital of America
Advocates for Responsible Treatment quoted in this national article about fraud and abuse.
2/27/20 New California bill would pay meth users for staying sober
Cash to addicts. What could go wrong?
2/26/20 County announces high-intensity drug rehab program for frequent mental health patients
San Diego trying to get on top of addicts that are referred to psychiatric care due to symptoms.
2/25/20 America’s addiction treatment misses the mark
Summary of key points.
2/24/20 Disabled by Addiction? Prove it, federal judge says to recovery home suing Costa Mesa
Home can’t make blanket claim that everyone deserves federal protections.
2/23/20 Common practice promotes treating one addiction at a time. It’s time to rethink that
Addicts who abandoned nicotine as well were likelier to complete treatment.
2/20/20 Uninsured receive free opioid-addiction treatment through federally funded program
In California, 395 more prescribers and 21,800 addicts starting methadone, buprenorphine or naltrexone.
2/20/2020 Westlake sober living home gets green light from judge (TX)
This is important and unusual because judge concluded that 12 people can live in a single
family home--that normally holds up to 6 adults--in a gated community because the business
claimed it wouldn’t be profitable with only six. “One thing we forget about in sober living is that
we’re really in the real estate business,” says operator.
2/20/20 Farmington says new approach to addressing intoxication yielded positive results (NM)
The intoxicated are walking in and requesting an 11-hour stay. Others are brought in by an
“Alternative Response Unit,” consisting of a driver and EMT.
2/20/20 Fraud in The Addiction Rehab Industry Could Put Millions At Risk
“There’s no incentive for people to make these folks sober…"
2/14/20 After bad start to 2020 with overdoses, Lake Worth Beach beefs up chronic nuisance ordinance (FL)
Ordinance defines three or more calls for emergency services in six months as “chronic nuisance”
that requires a process.
2/14/20 State House OKs bill to speed up in-take rehab process for those battling addiction (WA)
Removes pre-authorization requirements, which has not slowed down any rehab in California.
Tragically, expect to see more unscrupulous operators in Washington.
2/12/20 Dueling Lawsuits Between Malibu Rehab Centers Expose the Shady Side of the Recovery Industry
TheFix secretly owned by Cliffside—far from impartial and used as a lead generator.
2/6/20 Costa Mesa recovers $61,000 in costs from defending sober-living home ordinance against lawsuit
Costa Mesa won a suit defending its ordinances and recovered expenses related to its suit.
1/31/20 Investors Taking Wait-and-See Approach to Addiction Treatment Sector
Because it’s full of fraud? Criminals? “Certainly, there is still a market for quality providers…"
1/29/20 Bill forbidding lies in rehab marketing re-introduced in State Senate
Another common-sense bill, introduced by State Sen. Pat Bates, tries to run the gauntlet
1/28/20 County supervisors tighten rules on sober living homes, addiction treatment facilities.
1000 feet of separation is the maximum in California.
1/28/20 Behavioral Health Providers Plot Conversions of Former Nursing Homes Across the Country
Addiction and mental health treatment in former nursing homes has ambiguous regulation.
1/17/20 5 Arrested in $3.2 million Southern California sober living home fraud scheme
Rehab, Casa Bella, that fought insurance companies for additional payments found to be bilking insurance.
1/17/20 Ten teen rehabs have sprouted in OC’s eclectic equestrian corner, Orange Park Acres
Chaos and endangerment when a single operator over concentrates in a residential neighborhood.
1/15/20 Body brokering, where addicts are sold as investments, can continue in sober homes, for now
A common sense bill, sponsored by State Sen. Pat Bates, is once again turned down by Sacramento.
1/13/20 Getting Clean: City Pursues Legal Methods to Clean House When It Comes to Sober Living
Dana Point gets court order to enter recovery residences operating without licenses. Finds as many as 13 beds.
1/10/20 Study links Medicaid expansion to 6 percent reduction in opioid overdoes deaths
Unfortunately, also tied to increase in methadone-related deaths.
1/7/20 Rehab Owner Pleads No Contest in Connection With $175 Million Insurance Fraud Scheme
Still awaiting sentencing for his sex crimes.