PHOENIX — Members of the 25th Navajo Nation Council and Speaker Crystalyne Curley advocated to Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes to continue prosecuting offenders who victimize tribal members through fraudulent sober living homes in Phoenix and surrounding cities on Jan. 9.
Curley asked Mayes for updates and support in addressing the fraudulent sober living homes that targeted Native Americans and allegedly scammed the state out of hundreds of millions of dollars intended for health care benefits.
Mayes said that fraudulent sober living homes have scammed approximately $1 billion from Arizona and impacted the lives of thousands of Native American victims and families, not only in Arizona, but other states.
She added that this is one of the first issues she addressed when she became the state’s Attorney General and that reforming the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System is key to resolving many of the problems.
To date, the Attorney General’s Office has indicted 72 individuals and entities. Forty-four of these indictments have taken place since Mayes took office and has seized over $90 million in property and vehicles pertaining to these crimes.
Delegate Dr. Andy Nez, who sits on the 25th Navajo Nation Council’s Health, Education, and Human Services Committee, said there are too many non-certified, non-emergency medical transport services.
“Some are just going out and delivering our people to these fraudulent facilities. We need to hold these companies accountable too," he said.
HEHSC Chairman Vince James also requested the Arizona Attorney General’s Office to present an update and work closely with the Committee.
“We can’t prosecute our way out of this problem,” Mayes said. “We need this partnership with tribal nations like the Navajo Nation. We need to assure that action is taking place on all fronts. We need to see changes within AHCCCS.”
Mayes has also implemented a moratorium on new sober living homes and stricter regulations on these residential help facilities.
“Reforms need to be made to AHCCCS,” Mayes said. “We need to stop these bad actors. The Navajo Nation is important to me.”
