For those battling addiction, getting clean and sober can be tough. The addiction treatment space is overshadowed by bad actors and bad terms. Some of those terms are body brokering and The Florida Shuffle. Body brokering is an illegal and unethical healthcare fraud where intermediaries (“body brokers”) receive financial kickbacks or other rewards for referring insured individuals—most commonly those struggling with addiction—to specific rehab centers, detox facilities, or sober living homes. Nathan and David Young have been arrested and charged with federal charges alleging what the Department of Justice calls the “largest substance abuse treatment fraud scheme ever prosecuted.” People working in the addiction treatment space have been openly talking about these allegations for years. The Florida Shuffle is a fraudulent cycle where insurance-backed individuals struggling with substance use are repeatedly cycled through a network of private rehab centers, sober homes, and testing laboratories. Body brokers and The Florida Shuffle often work hand in hand. The Youngs operated various addiction treatment facilities and sober homes in and around Los Angeles. I have spoken with people who claim the Youngs body-brokered them.
On August 12, 2025, I published my findings on how people reviewed several of the same addiction treatment facilities over the past few years. Some of these facilities have been, or are currently being, sued by various Blue Cross Blue Shield entities. These facilities are not only interconnected through reviews, but also through marketing companies, owners, staff, and the same doctors. Several doctors run a rent-a-doctor service that connects you with a doctor to manage your patients and review compliance. Three of these rent-a-doctors are listed with several facilities.
Meet Dr. Eric Chaghouri
Dr. Eric Chaghouri owns and operates The Recovery Doctor. The Recovery Doctor offers doctors to addiction treatment facilities. Yet, Eric is listed on 21 different addiction treatment facilities. He is listed on Peak Path Health’s staging website, but his name has since been removed from the live website. Peak Path Health started shortly after Legacy Healing was named in a lawsuit after a patient died. Eric was also named in this lawsuit. I recently wrote about Legacy Healing’s lead-generation Google Business Profile (GBP) network with fake reviews on Google. Eric is listed on the websites of New Breath Recovery, GEVS Recovery, and Tranquility Recovery Center. All three facilities were named in the Blue Cross Blue Shield CodeMax lawsuit. I found the following businesses: Silicon Beach Treatment Center, No Matter What Recovery, Launch To Wellness. Warner Park Recovery Center, Alta Centers, Healthy Life Recovery, and Multi Concept Recovery appear to have reviewers who have reviewed at least one other facility. One person who reviewed Multi Concept Recovery also reviewed See Purpose Center for Addiction Treatment and The Last House. Brittanie Ramos is the Chief Marketing Officer for Multi Concept Recovery and See Purpose Center for Addiction Treatment. Clayton Ketchum is the founder of The Last House, CEO of Thrive Treatment, and Co-founder of Peak Path Health. Mutli Concept Recovery is located in Burbank, California. See Purpose Center for Addiction Treatment is located in Bloomfield, Indiana. Dr. Christian Small is listed as the Medical Director for See Purpose Center for Addiction Treatment. Christian also runs a rent-a-doctor service.
Meet Dr. Christian Small
Dr. Christian Small owns and operates Headlands ATS. Christian is listed on 16 addiction treatment websites. One business he is connected with is We Level Up. I identified several We Level Up locations with fake reviews connected to Evolve Construction. I discovered that people who reviewed Willow Springs Recovery, Wings Recovery Center, AToN Center, Villa Oasis San Diego, Lincoln Recovery, We Level Up Washington, Ocean Hills Recovery, Simonds Recovery Center, Asana Recovery, and Discovery Point Retreat reviewed at least one other addiction recovery business on Google. Christian was named in a different Blue Cross Blue Shield lawsuit. The complaint centers on a multi-million-dollar health care fraud and kickback scheme, involving body brokering, targeted out-of-state patient enrollments, deceptive marketing, cost-share waivers, and improper billing that generated over $10 million in disputed payouts.
Meet Dr. Jason Giles
Dr. Jason Giles also owns and operates a rent-a-doctor service. Jason is listed on seven addiction treatment websites. One of those treatment facilities is Rising Lotus Recovery. Rising Lotus Recovery was named in the BCBS CodeMax lawsuit. An unnamed whistleblower is alleging that DetoxLA is engaging in body brokering. DetoxLA, Oro House Recovery Centers, Clear Behavioral Health, Cali Recovery, and Rising Lotus Recovery all have reviews on Google, as does at least one other addiction treatment business.
The CodeMax lawsuit documents claim patients were flown from Oklahoma to California to receive treatment. Some of these patients were billed by different facilities. Some of these facilities and doctors have been accused of body brokering. When I have spoken openly in a private Facebook group, the people who have countered my findings have supporters connected to some of these doctors and facilities. One person is connected to Clear Behavioral Health, which lists Dr. Jason Giles. Another is connected to Eating Disorders Solution, which lists Dr. Christian Small. It’s unclear how much these supporters know or if they are looking the other way. I know that when I worked for Landmark Recovery, I didn’t know what was happening behind the scenes. Since this private Facebook group talks about the issues plaguing the addiction recovery space, these people see the same stories I see. Addiction recovery is a big and booming business. Addiction treatment generates $35 billion to $42 billion annually. In order for facilities to remain profitable, they need patients or heads in beds. Detox programs cost $8000 to $15,000. Luxury rehabs charge $ 3,000 to $ 6,000 per day. Others charge $250 to $800+ per day. There are approximately 439 addiction treatment facilities in Los Angeles.
The Youngs’ case will be interesting to watch. It’s alleged that some people were not receiving any treatment. The CodeMax lawsuit alleges people were charged for services they never recieved and in some cases BCBS was charged more than it should have been. Some of the addiction treatment facilities I have investigated the reviews for appear to be part of a revolving door of patients. Addiction recovery feels like a pay-to-play industry.