GUILTY: MONEY FOR NOTHING –
July 7, 2022 – According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Santeiro and others admitted patients for medically unnecessary detox services, the most expensive kind of treatment the facilities offered. Patient recruiters offered kickbacks to induce patients to attend the programs and then gave them illegal drugs to ensure admittance for detox at Compass Detox. Evidence at trial also showed that Santeiro submitted false and fraudulent claims for excessive, medically unnecessary urinalysis drug tests that were never used in treatment. Santeiro and others then authorized the re-admission of a core group of patients who were shuffled between Compass Detox and WAR to fraudulently bill for as much as possible, even though the patients did not need the expensive treatment for which they were repeatedly admitted. Santeiro also prescribed Compass Detox patients a so-called “Comfort Drink” to sedate them, ensure they stayed at the facility, and keep them coming back. The evidence further showed that Santeiro’s log-in was used, with his knowledge, by others to sign electronic medical files to make it appear as if Santeiro had provided treatment himself when he did not.
After a 15-day trial in March 2022, Santeiro was convicted of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, and eight counts of health care fraud. Two other co-defendants, Jonathan and Daniel Markovich, were convicted in an earlier trial in November 2021 and sentenced to 188 months and 97 months in prison, respectively. Richard Waserstein, an attorney, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and was sentenced to 13 months in prison. Drew Lieberman, another doctor, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and was sentenced to 13 months in prison. Christopher Garnto pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud and was sentenced to 24 months in prison.
