Kenneth Chatman of Boynton Beach, Fransesia Davis of Lake Worth, and Michael Bonds of Delray Beach have been arrested by federal agents for running sober homes that allegedly allow recovering addicts to use drugs in order to abuse their insurance plans and lead them into prostitution.
The trio were arrested and charged together with their facilities’ medical directors: Donald Willems of Weston, Joaquin Mendez of Miramar, and Laura Chatman, Kenneth Chatman’s wife. It is unclear if any of the six have attorneys.
According to the federal complaint, all six were arrested for conspiring to defraud health insurance companies. During a bond hearing yesterday, Davis and Chatman were ordered held without bond by Judge William Mathewman. Willems, Bonds, Mendez, and Laura Chatman will be held until they each post a $100,000 bond.
Chatman, Davis, and Bonds are the founders of several treatment facilities in Palm Beach and Broward counties including, Reflection Treatment Center, Total Recovery Sober Living, Redemption Sober House, and Stay’n Alive.
Investigators say the sober homes were supposed to be drug-free zones, but the defendants reportedly allowed the recovering addicts under their care to continue using drugs as long as they submitted to drug testing and attended treatment sessions. There are also allegations that the defendants pimped out their clients for drugs.
Instead of providing saliva and urine from patients for insurance purposes, Chatman and Davis allegedly submitted saliva and urine samples from employees. Their intention was to maximize insurance reimbursements.
“Where are the rules . . . of running a sober house? It seems like rules are being made up as we go,” said Bonds, who owns Redemption Sober House in Delray Beach. He told news sources that he “wasn’t making any money” and was working on closing his facility, which only housed four patients, before the raid on December 21.
If convicted for conspiracy to commit health care fraud, the defendants could get sentences of up to 10 years in prison. Kenneth Chatman and his wife also face an additional charge for allegedly making a false statement related to a health care matter, which carries a maximum sentence of five years.