Amidst the far-reaching implications of a sober living scheme in Arizona, Johnwick Nathan, a 30-year-old businessman, faced judgement for his part in defrauding the state's health care system for potentially millions. His venture, Harbor Health Integrated, made nearly $21 million during the course of the scheme that targeted the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) during the troubling times of COVID-19, as reported by Fox 10 Phoenix.
Since the start of 2020, a wave, of indictments has swept through Arizona, concerning Medicaid fraud, with 73 indictments linked to shady healthcare dealings. According to a statement from Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, this sentencing marks another milestone in the ongoing investigation into the alleged $2.5 billion defrauding of AHCCCS, as per Allsides.
The mastermind behind this particular fraud, Nathan, has been ordered to serve four years of probation—the soft blow delivered by Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Tracey Westerhausen, as noted by Fox 10 Phoenix.
In court, Nathan said, "At this moment, I’ve learned, and I take full responsibility, because that’s a part of having character as well as taking responsibility for your action," as stated by Fox 10 Phoenix. Noteworthy, however, is his omission of an apology to the Native American members of the AHCCCS, the very individuals his company falsely billed. Court records outline that his company claimed 23 to 24 hours of services a day for Native American patients, leveraging loose supervision during the pandemic to game the system.
Records obtained by Fox 10 Phoenix uncovered that of the seven behavioral health providers indicted in connection with Medicaid fraud, AHCCCS disbursed a total of nearly $170 million to them. This figure confirms just a portion of the massive $2 billion in documented fraudulent activities, a fact that continues to fuel the exhaustive investigation by the Attorney General's Office.
