Arizona sober living scandal: Fake rehab homes were centers of scandal
Constitution, in treaties, and is carried out by many federal laws and policies,” the Feb. 2 letter reads. President Donald Trump’s executive orders could challenge tribal sovereignty and Native citizenship. If recognized, they would be the largest acknowledged tribe east of the Mississippi River. North Carolina’s federally recognized Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) has long opposed Lumbee recognition. In the 1990s, the Interior Department again rejected the Lumbee’s petition, citing insufficient proof of cultural, political or genealogical ties to a specific historic tribe.
- “We have no additional updates to share at this time,” a Defense Department official told VOA.
- In January, after months of advocacy led by the Arizona state Senator Theresa Hatathlie, who is Navajo, and other tribal leaders, the FBI launched an investigation into the scams.
- Currently, the grant program is only available for tribal nations and non-profits, not individuals directly harmed by the fraud.
- We have now the story of a scam that targeted some of society’s most vulnerable people.
- In a related story, the Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition in May launched the National Indian Boarding School Digital Archive, a public archive of information on boarding schools and students that includes documents, photographs and other ephemera.
The U.S. Defense Department this week issued a policy banning the use of official resources or work hours to host cultural heritage celebrations. These include National American Indian Heritage Month and Asian American and Pacific Islander Month. Kirkland’s nomination has been referred to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. He thanked Trump and stressed his history of working with Native American tribes during his tenure as North Dakota governor. “Our unique political and legal relationship with the United States is rooted in our inherent sovereignty and recognized in the U.S.
Journalists’ Roundtable: Arizona budget forecast, funding and more
- Chase said anyone concerned about a missing loved one, or reporting suspected abuse and neglect from a sober living facility can also contact that number.
- Scam sober homes in Phoenix use Native Americans to enroll for healthcare benefits under the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, which partners with the federal Indian Health Service to pay for behavioral health services for members of federally recognized tribes.
- It was horrible for Benally and her dad, but it turned out to be good for predatory sober living homes waiting for the chance to snatch up new vulnerable clientele.
- For those who have been victimized repeatedly by the sober living scheme, trust is broken.
Gallup Police Chief Erin Toadlena-Pablo reported that the Gallup Police Department has investigated 33 cases involving “sober homes” since 2022, of which 15 remain open. In 2023, the department also investigated a total of 74 missing persons cases involving juveniles, adults, and other jurisdictions. During his tenure at the Navajo Nation, he said he had gone before Navajo politicians a number of times to inform them of what had to be done, but his concerns weren’t taken into consideration. A pilot project he wanted to start was to bring everyone together, such as Indian Health Services, Navajo Nation social services, courts, and jails, and figure out a system that would address substance abuse for highest repeat offenders, but nothing ever really came of his vision. The Navajo Nation last week unveiled the Rainbow Bridge operation to help those who will be affected and displaced by the sober living facilities where authorities are taking action. Mayes described scammers buying lists of names and dates of births and using those to bill AHCCCS, in one case charging AHCCCS for 13 hours a day for alcohol rehabilitation service for a four-year-old who wasn’t in a center or in need of the service.
Native American news roundup, Jan. 19-25, 2025
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has signed legislation increasing oversight of sober living homes, two years after state officials announced that a Medicaid fraud scheme had targeted Native Americans seeking drug and alcohol treatment. Under that program, providers directly bill AHCCCS for whatever they charge for individual services. People who were in the homes, plus officials and those who run legitimate facilities agree this scam would not have been so easy if there were more options for substance abuse treatment on tribal lands. Not in the right frame of mind, and unaware of the fraudulent sober living homes that would soon blow up into a statewide scandal, Mariano listened as the driver offered to take him to a program in Phoenix.
As Arizona officials crack down on fraudulent behavioral health providers, suspending payments to hundreds of them in a sweeping statewide response, those in need of treatment were caught in the middle, often left on their own to find a path forward. Rehab directories can be helpful tools during your initial research, but you should always be cautious when using them. While many are legitimate, some work with brokers and treatment centers to poach potential clients from one treatment center to another. Reputable rehab directories will list each treatment center’s phone number and website, allowing you to contact them directly. If a directory doesn’t provide that contact information but rather uses a single 800 number, you might be dealing with a scammer. To ensure you receive the correct information, it is best to contact the treatment center you are interested in directly.
The scheme cost Arizona nearly a billion dollars in fraud, and AHCCCS finally cracked down in 2023, suspending payments to more than 300 providers, shutting off funding and shutting down homes, leaving so many displaced. For those who have been victimized repeatedly by the sober living scheme, trust is broken. The FBI said it’s believed unlicensed facilities get kickback money from licensed homes that bill AHCCCS.
The COVID pandemic had a disproportionate impact on Native communities, where limited broadband access meant many students were unable to study remotely. As Tribal Business News reports, tribal governments are tax exempt, but there are some exceptions. With fewer specialists on hand, tribes now face potential delays, less access to tax guidance and a steep learning curve as they grapple with ever-evolving tax codes. Federal laws, including the Native American Languages Act, support language instruction and protection, ensuring that Native peoples can continue to practice their languages without fear of punishment. The order revokes a previous executive order that aimed to provide services for people with limited English proficiency, but it does not require any changes to services currently offered in other languages. It clarifies that agencies do not need to stop providing documents or services in languages other than English.
New exhibit at Phoenix Art Museum features work of Richard Avedon
“My approach to this case and other tribal lending is to stop violations and harm while also preserving and respecting the tribes’ sovereign status,” stated Attorney General Ellison. “I am grateful for the defendants’ cooperation in this investigation and agreement to cease further lending and collection activity in Minnesota.” The Lipan Apache is not a federally recognized tribe but was recognized by Texas in 2019. Dozens of Native American students have died under suspicious circumstances, the article continues, “and in some cases, documents show indications of abuse or mistreatment that likely led to the children’s deaths.” Since the 1996 settlement, the Hopi Tribe has purchased private land and sought to take neighboring state lands into trust in hopes of consolidating property for the tribe’s benefit.
What is the Native American Church and why is peyote sacred to members?
Unfounded claims of voter fraud and election irregularities four years ago triggered a surge of restrictive voting laws across the United States for this year’s vote, raising concerns about potential harassment and intimidation of voters and poll workers. Errors in bill processing and payment delays mean Native individuals are frequently billed for debts they should not owe, the consumer protection bureau says. Improper medical debt can damage individuals’ credit, making them ineligible for jobs, housing, loans and educational opportunities. Film director Ryan Flynn says he was “elated” in October when his documentary “You’re No Indian” was selected for screening at the 36th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival, which runs through Jan. 13 (see film trailer, above).
Arizona was warned about the fraud but didn’t act
“If we have evidence where individual operators of these facilities are negligent for people dying, we have also heard reports of rapes that have occurred inside these homes, that will also be investigated by the proper law enforcement officials,” Mayes said. Some indigenous sober living scams leaders are calling it “white van syndrome,” saying their people are enticed, picked up in vehicles, and allegedly left unsupervised in Valley homes and neighborhoods to use alcohol and drugs. In Tucson, the Ocotillo Apartments and Hotel shutters, leaving more than 200 people seeking addiction treatment homeless. AHCCCS was investigating the facility’s operators for fraud; police say they were investigating sex trafficking there. The Phoenix Indian Medical Center becomes aware of “suspicious activity related to residential treatment and sober living programs.”
He says Navajo police counted around 40 facilities that were recruiting on the reservation. It started when she would look across the street to the Phoenix Indian Medical Center, and see white vans hanging around, their drivers talking to Native people at bus stops. In a small patch of green amid the concrete, Madison Park, unhoused people are clustered in the scant shade of a few trees.
Hobbs said the state’s response to the sober living crisis is not done, and it’s essential to keep tribal communities involved and engaged so they can work together to address the issue. The bill, sponsored by three Republicans, amends state law for the regulation and licensing of sober living homes. It places new demands on the Arizona Department of Health Services, though a lawmaker from the Navajo Nation expressed concern that the bill does not go far enough in addressing root causes of the fraud. The official warning – months after the FBI announced its investigation into whether some sober living homes and group homes are involved in fraudulent billing practices. On May 16, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs announced new actions to stop fraud and abuse just months after FOX 10’s investigative series “Preying on a People” took a deep dive into the actions of unlicensed sober living homes targeting Native Americans. Fraud schemes involving phony behavioral health programs in metro Phoenix appear to start.
At this rate, it would take more than a century for the number of Native American physicians to reach parity with their percentage of the overall population. ProPublica reports that 60% of indigenous ancestral remains subject to NAGPRA have so far been repatriated, but at least 90,000 remain in nationwide collections. NAGPRA previously allowed institutions to retain artifacts whose tribal affiliation they could not determine. Rules updated in 2024 removed that provision and gave tribal historians and religious leaders a greater voice in determining where those items should go. Passed in 1990, the law requires all federal and federally funded institutions to inventory, report and repatriate all Native American human remains and culturally or spiritually significant artifacts. This nomination marks the first time an Indigenous North American filmmaker has been recognized in this category by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The president was in his limousine ready to leave Los Angeles when the event was canceled. The White House initially said Biden would speak in Los Angeles but later announced the event would be rescheduled at the White House next week at a time when others could attend. During his confirmation hearing, Burgum stressed that he has the support of his state’s five tribes. Navajo nominated as DOI Indian Affairs SecretaryThe National Congress of American Indians this week supported the White House nomination of Navajo citizen William “Billy” Kirkland III to serve as the Interior Department’s assistant secretary of Indian Affairs. It specifically warns against treating tribal programs as general diversity or environmental initiatives and invites government officials and Congress to discuss these issues further.
The state’s broad response has been criticized, Hobbs said, but she feels they had to act to shut down the “bad actors” who were at the forefront of the fraud. She said that the state could have ended it when they found out about the fraud in 2019, but “they chose not to.” That decision means Indigenous people have died and billions of dollars have been stolen. Alexandra Aley expects to graduate in May 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication. Aley has interned as a writer for Destination I Do magazine and is currently interning for the Gordon C. James public relations firm in Phoenix. “From our perspective, this is happening because people are greedy,” Smith said. “For every service we bill now, they are requesting documentation to support that service that you did with that specific patient,” said Mulligan.
The area is a spiritual center for the Pit River and Modoc Tribes and encompasses mountain woodlands and meadows that are home to rare flowers and wildlife. In Biden’s final days in office, his administration has issued several environmental protections. In 1956, Public Law 570, the “Lumbee Act,” acknowledged the tribe as an “admixture of colonial blood with certain coastal tribes of Indians” but denied it federal services.
