Firebrand - Matt Gaetz - Episode 67 LIVE: The Florida Rehab Shuffle – Firebrand with Matt Gaetz

Kenny Chapman is a man of many names, but none more infamous than Kenny Chapman is the man in charge of one of the most lucrative drug rehab networks in the entire country: The Florida Rehab Shuffle. He has been charged with fraud, human trafficking, and conspiracy to commit drug trafficking. But is he the only one? Or is he just the tip of the iceberg of a much larger problem? And is he part of a larger scheme that benefits from a broken system that exploits the most vulnerable people on the planet in order to profit off of a broken healthcare system? Firebrand investigates and exposes the dark side of the drug rehab industry, and how it benefits from the ongoing cycle of treatment, relapse, detox, and repeat treatment. Firebrand is a special investigative edition of Firebrand, where we take a deep dive into the issue of addiction in America, and specifically how some of the crooks and thieves benefit from a system that uses the addict as little more than an insurance policy with a heartbeat. And we're going to break down this horrifying, revolving door of abuse and the revolving door that keeps addicts stuck in a cycle of relapse and more relapse. Meanwhile, we're gonna keep running the stories to get hurt again. Firebrand - Firebrand's Theme Song: Come Alone by The Weakerthans by Fountains of Wayne by Joseph McDade by Skandalous and the Vigilante by John Singleton by Pizzi Music: "In Need You" by Cairo Brant & Co. by Suneaters Cover Art - "Outtropepsi" by Jeff Perla - "Solo" by F&K - "I Can't Believe It" by The Good Fight (feat. and "The Good Fight" by John Kacz & "I'm Too Bad" by Sulli by Kevin McLeod is outtro - "You Ain't Gonna Get It? by Haley Shaw in honor of Matt Gaetz Join us on Firebrand on FB on our new podcast Firebrand Firebrand! Subscribe to our new album, Firebrand? and we'll be giving you the inside scoop on our next episode on our newest episode on the latest episode of coming soon! on what's going to be out in the coming weeks! Subscribe and review us on your favorite streaming platform!

00:00:00.000 Thank you.

00:04:31.000 You In battle Congressman Matt dates Matt Gaetz was one of the very few members in the entire Congress who bothered to stand up against permanent Washington on behalf of his constituents.

00:04:50.000 Matt Gaetz right now, he's a problem for the Democratic Party.

00:04:53.000 He could cause a lot of hiccups in passing the laws.

00:04:56.000 So we're going to keep running the stories to get hurt again.

00:05:00.000 If you stand for the flag and kneel in prayer, if you want to build America up and not burn her to the ground, then welcome, my fellow patriots!

00:05:09.000 You are in the right place!

00:05:10.000 This is the movement for you!

00:05:12.000 You ever watch this guy on television?

00:05:15.000 It's like a machine.

00:05:16.000 Matt Gaetz.

00:05:17.000 I'm a canceled man in some corners of the internet.

00:05:20.000 Many days I'm a marked man in Congress, a wanted man by the deep state.

00:05:25.000 They aren't really coming for me.

00:05:27.000 They're coming for you.

00:05:29.000 I'm just in the way.

00:05:35.000 By December 2016, at least five overdose deaths have been linked to Kenny Chapman and his drug treatment facilities.

00:05:45.000 After building a strong case against him, law enforcement moves in.

00:05:51.000 We found evidence that further supported not only the healthcare fraud, but also the human trafficking portion of the case.

00:05:57.000 The Department of Justice arrested Chapman and five others including doctors, owners and employees of sober homes and treatment centers.

00:06:05.000 There's a laundry list of accusations against them, including bribing patients to attend their drug treatment centers to bill their insurances, allowing many of the patients to continue using drugs.

00:06:16.000 Chapman is accused of threatening patients to keep them from leaving the facilities, even recruiting women to engage in prostitution.

00:06:23.000 In 2015, News Channel 5 made contact with the family of one patient who went missing under Chapman's care.

00:06:30.000 Private investigator Joe Carrillo helped find the woman and says that's when he first learned of what was happening at the treatment facilities.

00:06:37.000 I didn't think she was going to make it.

00:06:38.000 The worst case I've ever had of a person that I've recovered that's been on drugs.

00:06:43.000 The FBI interviewed that woman before Chapman's arrest in December. 0.95

00:06:47.000 Still very fearful of him, because it's not only Kenny Chapman, he has a network, and they're all just as bad as him.

00:06:56.000 Welcome to a special investigative edition of Firebrand.

00:07:00.000 We are here to study and take a deep dive into the issue of addiction in America and specifically how some of the crooks and thieves benefit off of a system that uses the addict as little more than an insurance policy with a heartbeat.

00:07:20.000 They call it the Florida Rehab Shuffle.

00:07:22.000 And we're going to break down this horrifying, revolving door of abuse.

00:07:27.000 There's an individual, Kenny Chapman.

00:07:29.000 You saw him and his circumstances portrayed in our open.

00:07:33.000 And he operated an entity called Reflections.

00:07:36.000 Now what you just saw from that open, from Kenny Chapman and Reflections, that's the symptom of a much larger disease that has permeated Florida in particular.

00:07:47.000 Chapman is just one of a massive cabal of predatory scammers.

00:07:52.000 We're going to tell you about them.

00:07:53.000 They prey on some of the most vulnerable people on earth, drug addicts who are seeking treatment.

00:07:59.000 They essentially coerce people into their treatment centers by sending out Machiavellian brokers who zero in on addicts at 12-step meetings and entice them into a specific treatment center.

00:08:12.000 They will often offer the addict money and or drugs in order to get them into this cycle of abuse.

00:08:19.000 Once the addict has agreed to treatment, they now have begun the first step in what we call the Florida Rehab Shuffle.

00:08:28.000 The addict is typically sent to a luxury resort for detox about 7 to 10 days before entering the treatment.

00:08:35.000 Here's what they don't tell you.

00:08:36.000 The detox centers get kickbacks from treatment centers who then send patients their way and vice versa.

00:08:44.000 There's always the relapse they capitalize on too.

00:08:47.000 The kickbacks don't stop there as the treatment center will get kickbacks from the labs who do urinalysis and blood work.

00:08:54.000 Even the owners of some of the sober homes.

00:08:58.000 This practice is also known as patient or body brokering, and it's scaled to the moon.

00:09:06.000 The rehab business rose quickly to a billion-dollar industry by dragging vulnerable, unwitting addicts into this repugnant cycle of treatment, relapse, detox, rinse, wash, and repeat.

00:09:20.000 Meanwhile, the addicts aren't getting the care that they need, that they signed up for, that the taxpayers are paying for.

00:09:27.000 And as certainly at least one recovering addict can attest, they often facilitate continued abuse at the hands of the economic system that is the addiction industrial complex.

00:09:41.000 All of this in the name of the almighty dollar.

00:09:45.000 Now sadly the catalyst for this massive scam was none other than Obamacare, the Affordable Care Act, it started the whole cycle.

00:09:54.000 Yet another unforeseen consequence of Obama's failed healthcare overhaul.

00:09:59.000 So joining me right now is a recovering opioid addict who spent over a month at Kenny Chapman's treatment center.

00:10:07.000 reflections.

00:10:07.000 He's also our congressional office press assistant, and he's been doing reporting with and for Firebrand for quite some time.

00:10:15.000 Chris Chella joins us now.

00:10:16.000 Thanks for being here, Chris.

00:10:18.000 And before I get into your specific circumstances with Kenny Chapman and reflections and what that tells us about policy, it's my belief that every American has some interface You have addicts, family members of addicts, friends and loved ones, people who are the employers of addicts, employees of addicts, partners.

00:10:39.000 How would you describe addiction to someone who's never been an addict?

00:10:44.000 How would you describe addiction?

00:10:47.000 Because I can't imagine, though people have different interfaces, I can't imagine all these interfaces would in any way be comparable.

00:10:55.000 Yeah, that's a very good question, and thank you for having me on, Congressman.

00:11:01.000 I think addiction is just completely and utterly, and specifically with opiates, because opiates are, I think, the most addictive substance on the planet next to nicotine, and they just consume you.

00:11:17.000 Once you are hooked on opiates and, you know, starts with the pills and then eventually moves on to the heroin...

00:11:25.000 That is your entire focus.

00:11:27.000 You wake up, okay, how am I going to score enough money to make sure I don't get sick?

00:11:32.000 And it's, unfortunately, you know, you have withdrawals when you stop, so even if you want to stop, the pain of withdrawal is, you know...

00:11:44.000 Pretty significant, especially if you've been hooked on it for a number of years, months, whatever.

00:11:50.000 It's extremely, yeah, it's very bad.

00:11:55.000 And so addiction, I guess, in a nutshell is just being completely consumed and trapped and everything that you care about, your family, friends, job, everything goes out the window.

00:12:09.000 It's all about the drug.

00:12:13.000 And so you spent time at Reflections.

00:12:15.000 We've now seen how that system really does trap people.

00:12:21.000 What was your observation of that particular circumstance?

00:12:25.000 So what was really kind of bizarre to me was the first day I walked into Reflections, Kenny Chapman was walking around the facility in his three-piece suit with his Louis Vuitton belt, and I don't hate on anyone for dressing well, but he The disdain for his patients was palpable.

00:12:48.000 I mean, the way he would talk to people and just an absolute lack of respect, like you are almost like you're subhuman.

00:12:56.000 And I can see now why, after his arrest and subsequent sentencing for all the things that he did, I can see why he acted that way.

00:13:07.000 Because he was someone who was attempting to, or he was engaging in multiple schemes that were making him rich.

00:13:17.000 He was not only engaging in false treatment center, urine analysis.

00:13:23.000 He would have people sometimes pee twice and then just all the different kinds of little things that would just – But it was all about money.

00:13:32.000 Yes, exactly.

00:13:32.000 That's the thing.

00:13:33.000 It's all about money.

00:13:33.000 It's never about the patient, never about the patient.

00:13:36.000 And so Chapman, he ultimately – he was pimping girls out of his sober homes and then sending them back to treatment and giving them heroin so they wouldn't say anything.

00:13:49.000 And then when they would ultimately fail their drug tests, send them back to detox and then, like you said, rinse, wash, and repeat.

00:13:57.000 And it's part of the reason that happens because the government keeps paying for it, right?

00:14:01.000 Like, I mean, if you run – I mean, take the human part out of it.

00:14:04.000 If you run one of these facilities, the last thing you really want is someone to graduate out of the most severe consequences of drug use and addiction.

00:14:15.000 You want them to continue to be in some part of that cycle that's getting paid for, right?

00:14:20.000 Right, exactly.

00:14:21.000 So yeah, whether it's detox, whether you're just still in treatment and making sure that you're getting paid by getting the kickbacks from the labs, getting the kickback from the sober homeowners, all that stuff.

00:14:33.000 And so yes, it's just making sure that they are...

00:14:37.000 perpetually involved in that cycle and Providing absolutely no treatment.

00:14:44.000 In fact, exactly the opposite of treatment.

00:14:45.000 Yeah, and if you provide treatment and people get better, it's actually disruptive to your business model.

00:14:51.000 Now, we've been talking about this one facility in Florida, but there are so many others.

00:14:56.000 I mean, Chapman is a symptom of a much larger disease, and this corrupt practice has absolutely contributed to the major increase in opioid overdoses and in opioid abuse.

00:15:07.000 Now, the deaths that we've seen over the last several years, absolutely heartbreaking.

00:15:13.000 Take a listen.

00:15:16.000 Let's talk about the opioid overdose deaths, primarily fentanyl, because the numbers are staggering, up 91% from 2019. Take a look.

00:15:27.000 Over the course of three years, all right?

00:15:29.000 They're at about over 71,000 for 2021. You compare that to 37,000 back in 2019. The trend of deaths are up essentially over 20,000 a year for the past three years.

00:15:44.000 Those numbers are obviously very disturbing.

00:15:46.000 Now, Chris, we understand that these one-size-fits-all solutions that put all of the country under the same drug rehabilitation paradigm, they ultimately fail.

00:15:59.000 But in your opinion, what is the way the government could have a positive impact, if possible, to try to go after these predatory systems and the predatory way that patients are used in these rehab centers?

00:16:14.000 Yeah well I think it needs to start at the local level and you know we need to have oversight over these rehabilitation centers.

00:16:23.000 If someone wants to open a treatment center then they need you know strict scrutiny from you know Local and or state.

00:16:31.000 I think that, starting from the bottom up as opposed to the top down, is going to be much more effective in fighting the epidemic.

00:16:40.000 I worry about the corruption impacting politics, too.

00:16:45.000 I mean, you look at some of these rehab centers in Florida.

00:16:47.000 They are cash machines.

00:16:49.000 And then they have the ability to go hire the lobbyists, to be able to go influence the policies.

00:16:54.000 So no matter where someone is trapped, whether you're trapped in detox, in rehab, in 12-step, in relapse, no matter where you're trapped, they're getting paid off of the grift one way or the other.

00:17:08.000 Are you worried about the sophistication of these networks to be able to play at a very dangerous level politically?

00:17:17.000 I mean, that's always a concern, you know, when there's so much money flying around, you know, there's always going to be room for corruption.

00:17:25.000 And, you know, the government, you know, they have thrown plenty of money at this problem.

00:17:30.000 Yes.

00:17:31.000 But we have seen very few results.

00:17:34.000 Some things we have, some positive stuff has come out, like the Narcan, giving Narcan to, you know, emergency first responders.

00:17:46.000 That helped very much because that is the drug that you can jab somebody with when they're overdosing and save their life.

00:17:54.000 So there have been some positive things to come out of what the government has done.

00:18:05.000 Yeah, but these programs, I think there was like 57 programs created in 2017, between 2017 and 2018. And it's like, what are they really doing?

00:18:19.000 And they could be doing more harm than good.

00:18:22.000 When rehab used to be something that you only got at church, that you only got through a sincere nonprofit that was not motivated by cash and profits and who their ultimate acquisition would be at some point, but really motivated by helping people.

00:18:39.000 You might have had less access to those programs, but I'm willing to bet they probably had a higher success rate at helping people out of addiction than these processing centers.

00:18:50.000 They're really addict processing centers more than they're about rehabilitation.

00:18:54.000 And I worry, like when the federal government puts a trillion dollars on the table, as we have with some of these things, are we doing that to make people better?

00:19:04.000 Are we doing that so that There's always a payment cycle to continue to feed addiction.

00:19:10.000 Well, I think, you know, there can be dual, you know, ulterior motives in that, in that, you know, they, of course, you know, they want to help people, but also, yes, there's that.

00:19:21.000 But I think that, you know, what's really irritating about so many people in...

00:19:27.000 In Congress who want to legislate on opioids, whether it be opioids, guns, or whatever, they don't know really what they're talking about.

00:19:36.000 We see that on display daily.

00:19:38.000 Yes, on the hearings that you attend. 0.96

00:19:41.000 These people just talking out of their backside.

00:19:45.000 And that's a concern, is that these people, they're trying to, again, some shoehorn, put a square peg into a circular hole, Fix the opioid problem.

00:19:58.000 And it's different for everyone.

00:20:00.000 Some people need treatment.

00:20:02.000 Some people can just, you know, go to the 12 steps, you know, AA, NA. Other people can just stop.

00:20:10.000 And they don't need any further, you know, counseling or whatever.

00:20:14.000 It's different for everybody.

00:20:16.000 And I think that The government needs to approach it in a more fiscally responsible way than they have.

00:20:25.000 Yeah, I would suggest we should measure How well we're doing, not by how much money we're spending, but by how successful these programs are at getting folks out of the cycle, not keeping them trapped in the cycle.

00:20:39.000 It's almost like the government's policies, and of course I agree with you on matters like Narcan, but the policies to continue to fund every step of the cycle ensures that there aren't as many escape hatches.

00:20:53.000 Right?

00:20:54.000 To get out.

00:20:55.000 I mean, and so if there was somebody, you know, watching us right now who felt like they were being treated like an insurance policy with a heartbeat, what choices do people have?

00:21:09.000 What advice would you give as someone who's now a successful congressional staffer, you know, doing a great job in our office?

00:21:15.000 How do people realize that they're being victimized in this way and then how do they turn the tide?

00:21:20.000 I think you start to, at first you kind of, you don't really know, you've got some cool guy with Jordans and driving a Lexus, pulls up to your 12-step meeting and says, hey man, yeah, I can get you the treatment, Florida, you know, girls in bikinis, blah, blah, blah, you know, and so, but then once you get into it and, you know, you start to see the kind of... 0.90

00:21:44.000 The grift.

00:21:45.000 Yeah, the Yeah, the constant cycle of, wait, why am I paying the sober home rent $75 a week when that's supposed to be covered by the insurance?

00:21:55.000 And so I would tell people that you're not powerless.

00:22:01.000 They try to make you feel that way, especially if Mr. Chapman tried to almost dehumanize addicts so that we would feel almost like we had no recourse when he would steal our property.

00:22:13.000 He stole people's phones, stole people's wallets, medications that they need to prevent them from going back to...

00:22:23.000 Opiates.

00:22:24.000 It's terrible.

00:22:26.000 And so they're just...

00:22:27.000 Kenny Chapman...

00:22:28.000 So how do people use their power to be able to escape that?

00:22:31.000 I would say that you speak up.

00:22:36.000 There are so many different outreach programs where if you feel like you're being abused by a treatment center, by rehab, that you can reach out to and talk to these people and see if you are being abused.

00:22:50.000 And I think that more awareness needs to be brought to that.

00:22:54.000 And I think that if people realize that they do have recourse, that no, Kenny Chapman can't just take your phone, that you can get the police involved and things like that.

00:23:07.000 And, you know, just, yeah, I'd say just standing up for yourself.

00:23:11.000 And in regards to how to, you know, get out of, you know, addiction, out of the cycle again, it's not a one-size-fits-all, and it's different for everyone, but believe in yourself and forgive yourself.

00:23:26.000 Because, you know, in my opinion, if God's forgiving you, What right do you have not to forgive yourself?

00:23:35.000 The people you've wronged, you try to make amends and you do your best.

00:23:42.000 Just stay strong and remember that the infinite human potential that we have is more powerful than this substance and addiction.

00:23:56.000 What a great place to leave it.

00:23:58.000 Thanks for sharing your experience with us, Chris.

00:24:00.000 And, you know, I really believe that a lot of the notice requirements that we put around other features of health care, where people have a hotline to call, a way to regain that power that you talked about, maybe it's time that some of these entities that draw down gazillions of dollars in federal maybe it's time that some of these entities that draw down gazillions of dollars in federal funding and state funding, that they ought to have posted notice, where if people feel like they're just being shuffled through the process and taken advantage of, there's somewhere for them to call and some way for them to get an inspector

00:24:28.000 There's somewhere for them to call and some way for them to get an inspector general or an attorney general or a state attorney involved.

00:24:35.000 And in fact, that's happened with some frequency.

00:24:38.000 And it's been private businesses.

00:24:39.000 Yeah, it hasn't been the government.

00:24:41.000 It's been private businesses that have been creating these kind of hotlines where you can call and be like, okay, and then they get lawyers involved.

00:24:47.000 Okay, is this person being, you know...

00:24:50.000 Transparency is a very powerful thing.

00:24:52.000 And the more eyes you get on something, sometimes you can fix it.

00:24:55.000 Up next, my conversation with a whistleblower in this process.

00:24:59.000 An exclusive interview with a former sober home operator named Malcolm.

00:25:05.000 Now, we're going to get his side and his take on the Florida rehab shuffle.

00:25:10.000 Malcolm and I spoke a little earlier.

00:25:13.000 Take a listen.

00:25:16.000 Can you start by just telling us, for maybe someone who doesn't know, what is a sober home and what is the objective and the best of circumstances to help people?

00:25:24.000 A sober home are for addicts that are trying to transition their life back into the world.

00:25:31.000 And the sober home is supposed to, you know, give the addict a place to live and send them to pretty much VIP or IOP with the treatment center.

00:25:40.000 And from there, help them get their life back together.

00:25:44.000 And is it your belief that all sober homes in the market are above board, honest, there to help the addicts, or is there a dark underbelly of this industry?

00:25:54.000 I believe there's a dark underbelly of this industry.

00:25:57.000 Everybody's not in it, so you pretty much help the client.

00:26:00.000 And tell me what you've seen that makes you think that.

00:26:05.000 I've seen a lot of things.

00:26:06.000 I've seen where, you know, halfway houses, you know, mistreat the clients or, hey, they might kick them out. 1.00

00:26:13.000 You know, it's pretty much an insurance game for the people.

00:26:16.000 And if they don't have good insurance, they'll kick them out.

00:26:19.000 They do numerous things to hurt the client.

00:26:23.000 And is it your belief that the incentives in insurance are to keep people maybe in treatment rather than make sure that they graduate from it?

00:26:33.000 Absolutely.

00:26:33.000 I think a lot of people that own halfway houses, it's a money game for them.

00:26:38.000 And the treatment center, too, is pretty much a money game for them.

00:26:41.000 But you have to have a treatment center or a halfway house owner that really cares about the people. 1.00

00:26:47.000 And from there, they can transition into living a sober life again.

00:26:52.000 Malcolm, my reporting suggests that there are people who show up as brokers to AA meetings, NA meetings, And recruit people under false pretenses.

00:27:05.000 Are you aware of that practice?

00:27:07.000 Yes, they do have people like that.

00:27:09.000 Like you say, they call them brokers where they pretty much go to AA classes or drugs, anonymous classes, and they sit and they can plot on, hey, I have a better halfway house for you if you come to this one.

00:27:22.000 And that's what they do.

00:27:23.000 You're absolutely right.

00:27:24.000 It's like a black market.

00:27:25.000 And do they get a kickback or a benefit if they recruit people to a particular place?

00:27:31.000 Absolutely.

00:27:32.000 That's the only way they would be doing it unless it was some profit involved.

00:27:37.000 And so, as you've operated a sober home, what are some of the things that people have told you maybe about some of the other places they've been and the challenges they've had there?

00:27:48.000 Well, some of the challenges were that they would go to sober homes and in the sober homes, they would be doing drugs in the sober house.

00:27:56.000 Or they would go to a sober home that was not in a good area where they can just walk outside and purchase drugs or something like that.

00:28:03.000 Or it can be the person that owns the house.

00:28:06.000 He, you know, doesn't have a good tech.

00:28:09.000 A tech is the person that watches over the people that's in the house.

00:28:11.000 And, you know, that person could be selling them drugs, too.

00:28:14.000 It's a lot of ins and outs to the business.

00:28:18.000 Our federal government puts billions of dollars into sober homes, into treatment, into all of these ways to try to help addicts.

00:28:26.000 What advice would you give about how to ensure that these terrible drug dens don't trap addicts unwittingly?

00:28:35.000 Well I think what you have to do is the number one thing is you have to give them something to fight off the craving.

00:28:43.000 Like you have some boxing, you might have methadone, you might have you know other ways of fighting the drug but a drug can't cure another drug.

00:28:52.000 They need something where it's you know natural or they need to you know they need to make it where it is now where in order to have a halfway house you have to have a treatment center too.

00:29:02.000 You can't have one and not have the other.

00:29:05.000 What are the relationships that the halfway houses have with the treatment centers?

00:29:09.000 Do they just basically trade people back and forth, or are they really trying to improve people's lives?

00:29:14.000 Well, it depends on who the halfway house owner is and who the treatment center is. 0.78

00:29:20.000 I would say, yes, it's all about a money game.

00:29:23.000 And you can say it's pretty much insurance fraud because it's based on your insurance.

00:29:27.000 If the person doesn't have insurance, they're not going to house them.

00:29:31.000 And are the insurance companies aware of this fraud that's happening?

00:29:34.000 Do they do anything to police it?

00:29:37.000 Well, I believe that they're aware, but I don't know if they're doing anything to police it.

00:29:44.000 And when people have done well in recovery at your sober home, what have been the experiences that you've seen have led people to a better path and a better life?

00:29:57.000 I think sometimes one of the greatest things that can lead you to a better life is faith in yourself.

00:30:03.000 You know, you have to have that.

00:30:05.000 Something has to be in you saying that, hey, I don't want to do this no more.

00:30:09.000 I don't want to live a life where, you know, I'm doing drugs every day or I have to go to detox because I was on heroin yesterday.

00:30:15.000 So I have to go to detox today or either do more heroin.

00:30:18.000 You have to have faith in yourself.

00:30:19.000 And like I used to tell my clients, I always told them the only way you're going to be sober is two ways, either dead or alive.

00:30:28.000 Hey, that is a great message.

00:30:31.000 And, you know, what's so frustrating is that in government, we think if we just keep spending more money, that that's what's going to make people better.

00:30:37.000 And you're totally right.

00:30:38.000 You hit the nail on the head.

00:30:39.000 It's all about someone finding in themselves the ability to battle addiction.

00:30:44.000 And, you know, sometimes that comes from a higher power.

00:30:47.000 Sometimes it comes from faith, family member, children, something that you want to live for.

00:30:52.000 And just moving people around in the system doesn't seem like a great way Great way to help them.

00:30:59.000 If someone were really wanting help and they didn't know whether they were being recruited by a broker for a good place or a bad place, what advice would you give them about some of the first things that might tell you that your road to recovery is in fact this money game you described and not something that really can help?

00:31:19.000 Well, I think the first would be the tell sign would be the people in the house.

00:31:24.000 If they're regularly getting high, then you know that's not the sober house you need to be in.

00:31:29.000 And if they don't have a program telling you where, hey, you have this amount of time to get yourself together and this amount of time, and they're not taking you to AA meetings and meetings like that, then that's not the sober house for you.

00:31:42.000 So people should observe the path to recovery that others are on.

00:31:47.000 That are in that environment, and if it looks like it's unsuccessful, well then, it's just a game, right?

00:31:54.000 Absolutely.

00:31:55.000 I agree with you 100%.

00:31:56.000 No, this has been very helpful.

00:31:59.000 I mean, what do you think is the worst thing you've ever seen come out of one of these bad sober homes or bad treatment centers?

00:32:06.000 Like the worst story you've heard?

00:32:08.000 Well, I think probably the worst story I heard was a guy named Kenny Chapman.

00:32:13.000 And every client I used to get who was at his treatment center used to always tell me, hey, Kenny's prostituting the girls. 0.58

00:32:21.000 He's stealing our medication.

00:32:23.000 He's, you know, abusing us.

00:32:24.000 And I used to, you know, I used to first, the first, like, four, three or four-year thing, maybe they're just lying.

00:32:29.000 But you got to realize that if five or six people telling you the same story, they're not lying.

00:32:35.000 Like, he was really abusing the clients.

00:32:37.000 And at the end of the day, Hey, the government did step in and take him to jail.

00:32:41.000 I think he's facing life in jail.

00:32:43.000 He'll never get out.

00:32:44.000 Do you think there are other Kenny Chapmans out there right now doing the exact same thing to people?

00:32:49.000 Absolutely.

00:32:50.000 I believe so.

00:32:51.000 Alright, let's end on a positive note.

00:32:53.000 What would be the best story, the best circumstance that would give people hope that you've seen the capability to find that thing in yourself to turn your life around?

00:33:04.000 Well, I've seen lots of people, you know, not their parents.

00:33:08.000 You have to have, once your parents get in your life, you have a good support cast.

00:33:13.000 I think that's the best thing.

00:33:15.000 And I've seen kids that had a good support cast.

00:33:18.000 They're going to be reporters, going to, you know, redo their life in a whole nother place.

00:33:23.000 I know one guy, right now he's a lawyer.

00:33:27.000 He was almost dead at one time.

00:33:30.000 He overdosed.

00:33:31.000 He came through a life of sobriety where he hasn't looked back in.

00:33:38.000 He's been sober for like three, four years.

00:33:41.000 You know what?

00:33:41.000 It can happen.

00:33:42.000 If people find that thing in themselves, like you say, if they have the right treatment, the right path, the right supporting cast, addiction does not have to be A permanent condition of entrapment.

00:33:54.000 You can liberate yourself from the worst elements of it.

00:33:58.000 Malcolm, thank you for doing your part to get folks on that road, and thanks for sharing your perspective on the industry with folks.

00:34:06.000 Thank you so much.

00:34:06.000 I appreciate it, and you have a great day.

00:34:08.000 God bless.

00:34:11.000 Now that we've broken down this hellacious cycle of abuse and gotten firsthand testimony from people heavily involved in different aspects of the process, what are we supposed to do to fix it?

00:34:22.000 Well, we all know that Congress isn't very good at dealing with Too much of anything.

00:34:27.000 But particularly issues like the opioid epidemic that require more than just a nationwide cash waterfall for people who are abusing addicts.

00:34:37.000 As we saw with Obamacare, again, forcing insurance companies to cover drug rehabilitation in what functionally becomes a relapse washing machine, well, that's not an essential health benefit.

00:34:52.000 Sometimes even the most well-meaning, Architects of this policy allow for the Florida rehab shuffle to occur as a result of unintended consequences of the legislation.

00:35:03.000 And it's still happening.

00:35:06.000 According to the Palm Beach Post, in July of 2021, a 54-year-old man, wanted on patient brokering charges, was arrested aboard a catamaran in the Bahamas.

00:35:18.000 How about that?

00:35:19.000 And now he faces extradition.

00:35:22.000 In November of last year, the DOJ convicted two owners and operators of a South Florida treatment and detox center.

00:35:30.000 And in those cases, it was the Second Chance Detox LLC and the WAR Network LLC, respectively.

00:35:38.000 These two men, Daniel Markovich and Bow Harbor, unlawfully billed, listen to this, $112 million in treatment that was either never rendered or We're never medically necessary.

00:35:54.000 A Boca Raton doctor pled guilty in July to roughly $17 million in insurance fraud.

00:36:00.000 That was his piece of the Florida rehab shuffle.

00:36:03.000 Dr. Citrin was improperly prescribing controlled substances to residents of sober homes.

00:36:08.000 Imagine that.

00:36:09.000 You go to a sober home and it turns out to be a drug den.

00:36:12.000 And most recently, Chapters Recovery Treatment Center in Delray Beach was found guilty on 48 counts of Of patient brokering.

00:36:22.000 Just moving people through the system and collecting their money.

00:36:26.000 Once again, these type of people, the Kenny Chabins of the world, they see vulnerable addicts as insurance policies with legs.

00:36:35.000 This is more than just some blue-collar insurance scandal or fraud or scheme.

00:36:41.000 This is treating human beings as commodities.

00:36:44.000 And it must end.

00:36:45.000 The problem still exists.

00:36:47.000 It's happening in America today.

00:36:51.000 It's not like Congress hasn't been willing to throw money at the problem.

00:36:54.000 Just like Chris Chella and I discussed, since 2017, the federal government has spent trillions of dollars in an attempt to combat the opioid crisis.

00:37:04.000 I mean, it's like crazy to me how much money we spend on this with a result that only leads our people sicker and more addicted.

00:37:13.000 Between fiscal year 2017 and 2018, the federal government spent nearly $11 billion and created 57 federal programs dedicated to curbing the epidemic.

00:37:23.000 So to cure addiction with addicts, we go get addicted in Congress to creating new government programs that in turn turns around and addicts people.

00:37:33.000 According to the Pew Charitable Trust's report, this epidemic is costing the federal government at least $78 billion a year.

00:37:42.000 These addicts, they end up in our criminal justice system.

00:37:45.000 We pay for that.

00:37:46.000 They end up in our parole system.

00:37:47.000 We pay for that.

00:37:48.000 They end up in our emergency rooms with broken bones and other ailments.

00:37:52.000 They cause harm to others in times.

00:37:55.000 And then that has to be a part of the financial cost of addiction in America.

00:38:01.000 The number is increasing dramatically.

00:38:03.000 Just this past May, President Biden announced a $1.5 billion funding opportunity for state opioid response grants.

00:38:13.000 It's another drop in the bucket, but is it really helping us to quell the issue?

00:38:19.000 Now we agree there's some good that's been done, certainly having life-saving Narcan.

00:38:24.000 Well, that's resulted in people being still alive today who otherwise would have perished.

00:38:31.000 Local and state policies should have been enacted to deal with Narcan long ago, frankly. 1.00

00:38:35.000 And in the state of Florida, we did.

00:38:37.000 I remember voting for the Narcan legislation as a state representative.

00:38:42.000 But the key is preventing the addicts from becoming victims in a financial hustle where scammers are looking to make a quick buck rather than provide any lasting treatment.

00:38:54.000 People seeking treatment should not be subject to this abuse whatsoever.

00:38:57.000 And we're going to do everything in our power to end the revolving door of suffering.

00:39:02.000 So if you're struggling with addiction of any kind, stay strong.

00:39:06.000 Know that there are good people out there who do want to help you, and you cannot ever lose hope in that.

00:39:13.000 I've seen proof that as human beings, we have the ability to defeat this disease.

00:39:19.000 We have to have the will, and we cannot have the government of the United States making it worse.

00:39:26.000 Thanks so much for joining us for this special investigative edition of Firebrand, looking at the issue of addiction in America, and we will have updates regarding funding issues and policy changes that must be different.

00:39:40.000 Roll the credits.

Firebrand - Matt Gaetz - August 29, 2022

Episode 67 LIVE: The Florida Rehab Shuffle – Firebrand with Matt Gaetz

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