The head of a sober house and substance abuse treatment center in Palm Beach County is accused of sending over $500,000 in fraudulent insurance claims, according to court records.
Xiomara Colon, 44, was apprehended Thursday on charges of incorrect and fraudulent insurance claims over $100,000, running a drug abuse center without a license and illegal activities associating with workers, to name a few, county court records reveal.
As CEO of Increase to Healing, a drug treatment center in West Palm Beach that likewise ran a sober house in Lake Worth Beach, Colon fraudulently billed 3 insurance business for services from June to September 2021, when the center was not accredited to deal with anybody, a likely cause affidavit stated.
Drug abuse programs are needed by state law to be accredited in order to costsinsurance claims If the business had actually understood Colon’s center was not accredited, they would not have actually paid the claims, the affidavit stated.
As the Palm Beach County State Lawyer’s Workplace’s Sober Residences Job Force examined Increase to Healing, they found out Colon had actually likewise sent fraudulent files throughout the licensure application procedure and ran the program with unapproved workers, the affidavit stated.
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The Florida Department of Kids and Households authorities informed Colon in June 2021 that Increase to Healing’s license had actually ended which Colon did not make an application for renewal in time, the affidavit stated.
Colon tried to make an application for another license in late June 2021 given that the window had actually closed for her to make an application for renewal, the affidavit stated, however DCF rejected that application about a month later on, in part, due to the fact that the application consisted of a fraudulent fire examination report. The report declared to be finished by an inspector who had actually retired over a year prior to the center sent the report.
Detectives spoke with 2 locals who had actually remained in treatment given that July and lived at the sober house in Lake Worth Beach in late September 2021, the affidavit stated. DCF authorities informed private investigators Increase to Healing did not reveal running a sober house which the house was not licensed by the required state company, the Florida Association of Healing Residences.
Both locals informed private investigators that their treatment sessions were kept in the cooking area of the sober house. The female they had sessions with was not a scientifically or clinically certified therapist, the affidavit stated, breaching the insurance business’ policies. They stated Increase to Healing personnel “pressed massages and chiropractic services on them, even if they didn’t require them,” the affidavit stated.
” They mentioned the chiropractic practitioner will do something for a couple of minutes or less and after that costs insurance,” the affidavit stated.
An overall of $559,219.03 claims were sent to Blue Cross Blue Guard, Aetna and Optum in between June 24, 2021, and Sept. 15, 2021, when Increase to Healing was not effectively accredited, the affidavit stated.
Colon’s partner Mark Sanchez, 44, was formerly apprehended and condemned of client brokering associated to Increase to Healing, the affidavit stated. Court records reveal Sanchez was apprehended in March 2021 and sentenced to 18 months in state jail. Sanchez will be launched in June.
Detectives spoke with Increase to Healing’s scientific director, who was worked with by Sanchez in March 2020, who stated she was uninformed the center’s license had actually ended and was informed by Colon that they were running under a provisionary license, the affidavit stated. The scientific director was likewise uninformed that her name was utilized as the referring doctor on the insurance claims.
The female who offered treatment to the sober house locals informed private investigators she is not a certified expert however led group and private sessions, which were billed under the scientific director’s name, the affidavit stated.
Colon’s lawyer did not react to an e-mail looking for remark Friday night.
Colon published bond Friday early morning, court records reveal.