Body brokers responsible for hundreds of homeless addicts in Skid Row as secrets of sick drug rehab trade revealed
A Los Angeles outreach worker has revealed the sickening depths swindlers will sink to in order to lure homeless addicts to California detox centers, after a pair of accused fraudsters were charged by federal authorities in a $1.6 billion drug rehab scheme.Federal prosecutors busted David Young, 71, and his son Nathan Young, 39, who are accused of using “body brokers” to recruit at least 6,000 junkies — many from out of state — to enter Golden State rehabilitation clinics as part of an alleged insurance scam.LA-based homeless advocate and outreach worker Lang Martinez said the sickening scam the Youngs are accused of is all too commonplace on Skid Row, while revealing more of the disgusting tricks that fraudsters employ to maximize their profits.“Los Angeles is definitely a hot spot for this sort of thing,” said Martinez, who lived homeless on Skid Row before getting sober in 2018 and turning his life around.“First, they’ll find someone caught up in addiction.
Then, they’ll give you a little bit of money.”Next, said Martinez, body broker cons will obtain an ID from a victim, and get them insurance, so that they can be admitted to a rehab center on the insurer’s dime, about a week later.“They have insiders with the insurance companies, your top insurance companies,” said Martinez of such cons.“They’ll grease their palms, and then what they’ll do is they’ll backdate homeboy’s insurance.”The body brokers’ spiel next goes something like this: “’Got you a spot, man.
I’m gonna put you on a plane, and I’m gonna fly you out to this place,’” Martinez said “It happens all over the country,” he added.“Get you in the car.
Put you on a plane.”But once there, addicts may realize they’re not getting help at all, but just ripoffs like those alleged to have occurred at the Youngs’ bogus rehabs, such as Zoom meetings with hundreds of attendees and no treatment, or trips to the movies disguised as group therapy.Worse,...