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CEO of Recovery Connection Centers of America pleads guilty to fraud

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PROVIDENCE – The owner of addiction recovery centers in Rhode Island and Massachusetts has admitted he conspired to defraud health insurers of millions of dollars while depriving as many as 1,800 patients of crucial opioid treatment.

Michael Brier, 61, of Newton, Massachusetts, the CEO of Recovery Connection Centers of America, has agreed to plead guilty to health care fraud for defrauding insurers of more than $3.5 million by falsely submitting claims for 45 counseling sessions minutes that, in fact, it lasted only a few minutes, according to court documents.

In return, federal prosecutors will recommend that he be sentenced to six to 10 years in prison. He must forfeit assets worth $3.6 million, including a Lexus and Mercedes, as well as a condominium in Panama. Charges of aggravated identity theft, money laundering and obstruction will be dismissed.

Brier will also admit to failing to disclose to federal and state authorities that he was convicted of tax evasion in 2013 and sentenced to 27 months in prison for failing to accurately report his income and paying approximately $400,000 in taxes while working as a tax preparer . . If he had done that, the authorities would not have approved the permits.

The supervisor of the center also admits that there is fraud

Mi Ok Song Bruining, 63, of Warwick, a clinical social worker and supervisor at the centers, admitted in November to helping carry out the scheme that denied substance abuse patients treatment services while making Medicare, Medicaid and other health insurers the office of U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha announced last fall.

Bruining was known as the “5-Minute Queen” for the speed with which she guided patients through the “drive-by” counseling system. She and Brier imposed a strict policy that counselors not see clients for more than 15 minutes.

Bruining instructed the counselors to indicate in their notes that they had conducted a 45-minute counseling session, but not to indicate “am” or “pm” as the start time to mask the fact that they were seeing more patients than possible in an hour . She also instructed the advisors to copy and paste the notes from the previous visit so that the account looks complete.

More: ‘You should have kept your mouth shut’: An insider on an alleged health care fraud brought down by the FBI

Recovery Connection Centers of America itself, through a court-appointed trustee, has also agreed to admit to conspiring to commit health care fraud. In return, federal prosecutors agreed to a year of probation.

Center billed insurers for more hours than there are in a day

Recovery Connection opened in 2018 and was headquartered at 381 Wickenden St., Providence, with an office in Pawtucket and a dozen other locations in Massachusetts, including Attleboro and Worcester. About half of the 1,800 patients are Rhode Island residents, federal prosecutors said.

Authorities alleged that Recovery Connection billed Medicare, Medicaid and other insurers for services it never provided to its patients.

The company submitted claims for full 45-minute counseling sessions where patients received only a few minutes of counseling and treatment, sometimes for so short periods that they never sat down.

Brier and his company were accused of billing Medicare and other insurers for more hours of psychotherapy than existed in a day. On one occasion, Recovery Connection billed taxpayers for 38 patients who all received 45-minute sessions in one day – for a total of 28.5 hours.

A former employee was said to have been equipped with a bell that would ring to ensure patients moved smoothly.

Brier has remained free on a $10,000 unsecured bond since his arrest in March 2023.

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