Newton Resident Sentenced For Large-Scale Health Care Fraud

NEWTON, MA — A resident has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison for defrauding Medicare, Medicaid, and other health insurers out of millions of dollars according to United States Attorney Zachary Cunha.

62-year-old Michael Brier is the owner of the now-defunct Recovery Connection Centers of America. He admitted in federal court that his Rhode Island-based company failed to provide its clients dealing with substance use challenges with necessary treatment and counseling sessions, while still billing health insurers for the services. His Tuesday sentence was carried out by District Court Judge Mary McElroy. According to Cunha, Brier’s company was billing Medicaid and Medicare for 45-minute counseling sessions, while in reality they were only five to 10 minutes in length.

Special Agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston Division said the sentence is a warning that individuals who attempt to take advantage of the opioid crisis will be caught.

“Michael Brier is a liar, a cheat, and the mastermind of this sophisticated scheme,” Cohen said. “The FBI and our partners are gratified we could shut him down, along with his chain of addiction treatment centers, which were little more than a front for fraud.”

Brier’s sentence also includes three years of supervised release and a requirement to pay restitution worth $3,515,100.