Page 9 - AHATA

A2 UP FRONT
Wednesday 23 august 2023

Fake Arizona rehab centers scam Native Americans far from home

Continued from Front he said.
Former clinic clients “are
Now back on the Black- too scared” to testify be-
feet reservation, Nelson is fore the state Senate, Ha-
among hundreds of Na- tathlie said.
tive Americans who have Reva Stewart and several
been targeted by Phoenix- other Native American
area scammers. The billing women living in Phoenix
schemes often left clients operate an online network
homeless and in some cas- to help find missing people
es financed lavish lifestyles they call “our relatives,”
for the fraudulent providers, posting details of those lost
authorities have said. Ari- on social media.
zona has been defrauded Stewart, who is Navajo, got
in recent years out of hun- involved a year ago after
dreds of millions of dollars watching drivers stop vans
through such scams, state outside Phoenix Indian
officials estimated. Medical Center, offering
The fraudulent charges people a place to stay.
were submitted mostly “Something didn’t look
through the American In- right,” said Stewart, who
dian Health Program, a manages a Native Ameri-
Medicaid health plan that can arts shop nearby.
allows providers to bill di- Grassroots advocates Coleen Chatter, left, Geri Long, second from left, Reva Stewart, and Raquel Around that time, her cous-
rectly for reimbursement of Moody, right, stand outside their headquarters at Drumbeat Indian Arts, Monday, July 31, 2023, in in disappeared into a simi-
Phoenix.
services rendered to Native Associated Press lar vehicle in New Mexico.
Americans and Alaska Na- After an hourslong trip,
tives. for Medicare and Medic- fraud” as of Aug. 18. Some to be tried Sept. 18. the cousin was kicked out
Federal law lets Native aid to investigate as well. providers closed and some The scams can be highly of the Phoenix center she
Americans enrolled in fed- Non-medical transport have appealed to stay lucrative. In a federal case, was taken to after refusing
erally recognized tribes companies that reportedly open. a woman who operated to complete intake forms,
choose the fee-for-service have taken Native Ameri- AHCCCS instituted tighter a fake recovery program Stewart said. She said her
plan or a managed care cans from their reservations controls, including a six- in Mesa, Arizona, pleaded cousin is now back on the
plan. The state Medicaid to phony programs should month moratorium for guilty in July to wire fraud reservation and sober.
program known as AH- also be investigated, said enrolling new behavioral and money laundering af- Months later, Moody
CCCS — Arizona Health Arizona State Sen. Theresa health clinics for Medicaid ter raking in over $22 mil- learned Walker died from
Care Cost Containment Hatathlie, a Democrat and billing. Site visits and back- lion in Medicaid money alcohol poisoning and was
System — contracts with Navajo who lives on the ground checks with finger- between 2020 and 2021 for buried in a pauper’s grave.
managed care organi- reservation. The New Mex- printing are now required services never provided. Moody quit drinking and
zations to provide health ico Attorney General an- for high-risk behavioral Court records don’t say now volunteers with Stew-
services to most Medicaid nounced a “Don’t be tak- health providers when they whether patients were Na- art’s group #stolenpeo-
members in Arizona, while en for a Ride” campaign, enroll or revalidate. tive Americans, only that plestolenbenefits to help
the fee-for-service plan al- warning people not to ac- The scams exploded during they were brought to the Native American families
lows Native Americans to cept transportation from COVID-19 lockdowns. facility just once and bill- find lost loved ones who
use any provider registered strangers to go to Arizona “There were a lot of rules ings were subsequently went to rehab homes.
with AHCCCS. rehab centers. relaxed that allowed those made in their names up Addiction recovery is a
The scams’ far-reaching The Navajo Nation and the scammers to get in,” said to 90 days. Billings were challenge on reservations,
consequences are now Blackfeet Nation declared Dr. John Molina, health also made for dead peo- where resources for resi-
becoming known as warn- public health emergen- service director for the ple and prisoners. Diana dential treatment aren’t al-
ings are sounded by state cies to free up resources federally funded Native Marie Moore, 42, will be ways available.
and tribal governments to help affected mem- Health, a health center sentenced Dec. 18 after an Nearly half of the Navajo
outside Arizona, as well as bers. The Navajo Nation serving Native Americans in investigation by the Internal Nation’s 25,000 arrests in
Montana’s U.S. Sen. Jon also launched a program Phoenix. He said addiction Revenue Service. A federal 2021 were for public intoxi-
Tester, a Democrat, and called Operation Rainbow among Native Americans court required her to forfeit cation, even though fed-
Gov. Greg Gianfonte, a Bridge to help members get is rooted in generations of property obtained through eral law prohibits alcohol
Republican. into legitimate programs or trauma. the fraud, including four sales on tribal land.
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs back to the reservation. “This takes us back to the homes, seven high-end ve- A small residential addic-
and Attorney General Kris Blackfeet members who re- early years of colonization hicles and luxury items in- tion treatment program on
Mayes — who has said au- cruit on the reservation for and how Natives were tak- cluding Rolex watches, dia- the Blackfeet reservation is
thorities believe a Nevada- fake programs face thou- en advantage of for eco- mond rings and a rainbow usually full.
based criminal syndicate sands of dollars in fines and nomic gain,” said Molina, of Louis Vuitton handbags. Blackfeet member Laura
launched the first scams even expulsion, the tribal of Pascua Yaqui and San Navajo police visiting Phoe- McGee’s brother went
— in May announced they leadership decided. Carlos Apache ancestry. nix in recent months have missing shortly after arriving
were stepping up an inves- Arizona has since suspend- Last year, Johnwick Nath- encountered hundreds of at a Phoenix facility in the
tigation on fraudulent Med- ed Medicaid payments to an, 29, was indicted on Native Americans living spring, she said. After a har-
icaid billing begun before the center where Nelson multiple counts of fraud, in the street after cent- rowing search, the family
they took office in January. stayed — a phone number money laundering and ers closed, said Harland found him and brought him
The FBI and the U.S. Attor- on the provider’s LinkedIn forgery. Authorities allege Cleveland, special opera- back to Montana. Arizona
ney General’s Office have account no longer works Nathan illegally billed Med- tions manager for Rainbow later suspended Medicaid
joined Arizona prosecutors — along with more than icaid on behalf of Native Bridge. Many are inebri- payments to the provider
in the probe. And Tester 300 other providers based American clients, a charge ated and don’t have cell- while law enforcement
has called on the Centers on “credible allegations of he denies. He is scheduled phones to call their families, investigates.q