The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
Two Delray Beach men have been suspected of taking part in a scam when they were found participating in profiting from illegal brokering practices involving the urine of patients with substance abuse problems who are in treatment and recovery programs.
It is reported that the urine collected from substance abuse treatment patients is a highly lucrative item for the labs that test it. When a lab acquires a contract with a treatment center in need of extensive urine testing they stand to profit quite a bit because insurance companies, though they often only pay for a portion of the charge, are billed up to $5,000 for the process.
In the state of Florida, it has been outlawed with a patient-brokering law in place prohibiting the acceptance of “any commission, bonus, rebate, kickback, or bribe, directly or indirectly, in cash or in kind,” to protect against treatment centers and labs from profiting illegally through patient and lab service referrals.
Delray Beach resident’s 27-year-old Christopher Kristiansen and 30-year-old Alex Kane are both employed at the Safe Harbour Recovery Treatment Center.
In an ongoing investigation into the brokering practices that are breaking Florida laws, Kristiansen and Kane were taken into custody after they allegedly assisted in setting up the transfer of payments from a local lab to a lab in New Orleans. They reportedly accepted over $180,000 in kickbacks for the referrals.
On Thursday, Kristiansen and Kane were arrested and booked at the Palm Beach County Jail. They are both facing charges of aiding in patient brokering, and receiving patient-brokering kickbacks. Kane is also facing a charge of conspiracy to commit patient brokering.
Both men are scheduled to attended court sessions on Friday and Kane is being held on $18,000 bond, while Kristiansen was assigned a $12,000 bond.
If you or someone you love is suspected of a theft crime, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.