Orange County is Now Nation’s Center for Addiction Fraud

A DUBIOUS HONOR INDEED –

Dec. 16, 2021 – …to find vulnerable addicts with good insurance, then pay those body brokers handsomely so that the rehab can bill the insurance company, often for services that don’t meet a patient’s medical needs or are non-existent.

In addition, addicted people are often paid to remain in treatment, and some rehab centers provide drugs to addicts as a way to re-start the lucrative treatment cycle again and again, officials said.

Arrested Thursday, Dec. 16, were Nick Roshdieh, 51, of Aliso Viejo, and Vincent Bindi, 66, of Laguna Nigel. They owned Crest Recovery LLC, doing business as Truvida Recovery, and were charged in an indictment that alleges conspiracy to pay and receive kickbacks for referrals to clinical treatment facilities and paying kickbacks for referrals to clinical treatment facilities.

Donald Vawter, 30, of Rancho Santa Margarita, an employee of Truvida, also was taken into custody, as was Michael Hislop, 56, of Boston, a patient recruiter, on charges of conspiring to pay and receive kickbacks for referrals.

If convicted, Roshdieh and Bindi would face a maximum total penalty of 65 years in prison, and Vawter and Hislop would face a maximum total penalty of 35 years in prison, prosecutors said.

The sting has been underway for at least 10 months.