An Arizona grand jury has indicted three people on 19 felony counts related to the ongoing investigation into fraudulent sober living homes that targeted Native Americans.
It alleges that Shawnjerria Lucas, Lavita Verser and a third unnamed defendant billed the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System and the American Indian Health Program for more than $115,000,000 in behavioral health services through their Phoenix-based A Better You Wellness Center between Dec. 2021 and Feb. 2023.
Officials allege a portion of the bills was fraudulent.
Last spring, state officials announced the investigation into more than 100 providers they say had defrauded the state’s Medicare system out of hundreds of millions of dollars and in some cases held Indigenous people against their will and never provided promised services.