DOJ Cracks Down on Fraudulent Addiction Treatment Facilities in Orange County

The seal of the United States Department of Justice on the building exterior of the United States Attorney's Office of the Southern District of New York in Manhattan, N.Y., on Aug. 17, 2020. Andrew Kelly/Reuters

SANTA ANA, Calif.—Ten substance abuse facility owners and patient recruiters in Orange County were criminally charged by the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Dec. 16, for kickback schemes involving exploiting addiction patients seeking help.

For 10 months, The Sober Homes Initiative in Southern California, an anti-fraud initiative led by the DOJ’s Health Care Fraud Unit and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, targeted addiction treatment facilities in Orange County.