A Boca Raton-area family collected about $2 million in patient referral kickbacks through drug-testing labs and an addiction treatment center that was member-owned, according to authorities.
Mimi Joy Bieda, who turns 61 this weekend, along with her sons, 32-year-old David Israel Bieda and 35-year-old Levi Chaim “Larry” Bieda, were booked into the Palm Beach County Jail on Wednesday morning.
Each of them is charged with two counts of patient brokering fraud of 20 or more patients as well as one count of money laundering of $100,000 or more.
All three remained in custody on Thursday morning, with their bails set at $45,000.
Florida law says it is illegal for a lab or a health-care provider either to offer or to pay a sober home or a drug-treatment center a commission, a bonus or a bribe for the referral of patients.
Drug tests that are done on the urine of patients with health insurance can result in thousands of dollars in reimbursements.
According to an arrest warrant from the Palm Beach County Sober Homes Task Force, in addition to reports from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and Boca Raton police, Mimi Bieda and Larry Bieda owned Academy Health Solutions, an addiction-treatment center located in Lake Park.
The two had an arrangement with Jayde Laboratories, of which the family owned 20 percent, and which David Bieda managed.
The deal dictated that nearly 80 percent of Jayde’s testing was from Academy clients.
Jayde’s principal owner, Adrian Rogers, was charged with patient brokering and conspiracy in January of last year.
He told investigators that Mimi Bieda and and Larry Bieda allegedly received a 50 percent kickback for referring patients.
The companies billed insurance companies thousands of dollars for tests, the arrest report states.
In addition, the investigation revealed that David Bieda was part of a lab called District Diagnostics, which took over for Jayde two years ago.
Between July 2018 and December 2019 alone, the report said, District steered $1.75 million to Bieda-related entities. Meanwhile, another lab sent the Biedas more than $300,000.
Adam Frankel, a Delray Beach attorney, is representing Larry Bied. Court records did not show lawyers for his mother and brother.