SAD ENDING –

August 16, 2021 – Last year, Greiss pleaded not guilty to federal charges of conspiracy and paying for patients at two addiction rehabs where was chief executive, South Coast Counseling and Elite Care Recovery in Costa Mesa. In approving the travel request, the government agreed to temporarily return his passport — a sign of official trust.

But Greiss won’t make the trip. He died on Aug. 6 at age 51, said Sgt. Todd Hylton of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. The cause of death is pending.

“Tarek Greiss dedicated his heart and soul to helping others and he saved hundreds of lives through his love and leadership,” said John L. Littrell, who served as his attorney, by email. “His legacy will not be tarnished by the government’s misguided prosecution of him. Tarek will be remembered as one of the good guys.” Greiss had a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Washington and an M.D. from George Washington University, according to his biography. He was an anesthesiologist before addiction got him into trouble in several states and cost him his medical license.

He “entered the world of addiction recovery through the front door, as a client,” his bio says. “He is a recovered impaired professional who navigated the very difficult road to durable recovery through an intense trial and error period.” At Elite Care, he developed an “Impaired Professionals Program” to help professionals struggling with addiction to keep or regain their professional stature, his bio says.

“I had the privilege of knowing Tarek the last two years. I stumbled across a part time opportunity at his company and had no idea what lay ahead,” wrote Celeste Martinez, one of many who paid online tributes.

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