Every once in a while, I'll ask about a guest I haven't seen lately, only to learn that they've been admitted to a program and are - fingers-crossed - on the road to recovery.
Every once in a while, I'll ask about a guest I haven't seen for a while, only to learn that they've OD'd or died on the streets. 
During my pre-vax hiatus from volunteering, a guest that I saw and chatted with regularly got housing. Yay! C was usually stoned when I saw him, and I couldn't always follow what he was talking about. But he was kind and harmless. Other than to himself. Sadly, this fellow got a hold of some bad K2 and died.
It's all so devastating. All so awful.
Those who take advantage of folks suffering from addiction are, in my book, lower than pond scum.
Thus, while I usually don't rejoice when someone's sentenced to a prison term, when it comes to the Markovich brothers of Florida, I'm delighted.
For their egregious behavior, Jonathan Markovich and Daniel Markowitz will both be doing serious time.
Serves. Them. Right.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, the defendants conspired to unlawfully bill for approximately $112 million of addiction treatment services that were medically unnecessary and/or never provided, which were procured through illegal kickbacks at two addiction treatment facilities, Second Chance Detox LLC, dba Compass Detox (Compass Detox), an inpatient detox and residential facility, and WAR Network LLC (WAR), a related outpatient treatment program. (Source: Justice.gov)
I don't know what's worse: "medically unnecessary" and/or "never provided." Toss up, I guess.
The defendants obtained patients through patient recruiters who offered illegal kickbacks to patients, including free airline tickets, illegal drugs, and cash payments. The defendants shuffled a core group of patients between Compass Detox and WAR in a cycle of admissions and re-admissions to fraudulently bill for as much as possible.
"Patient recruiters"? And you think your job is bad. I guess this is what you do when you can't find work in a call center preying on senior citizens, trying to get them to fork over thousands of dollars in gift cards for no reason other than the bogus one that's been concocted and given to them.
Patient recruiters gave patients illegal drugs prior to admission to Compass Detox to ensure admittance for detox, which was the most expensive kind of addiction treatment offered by the defendants’ facilities.
Giving patients illegal drugs to prove that they needed detox. C.f., lower than pond scum.
In addition, therapy sessions were billed for but not regularly provided or attended, and excessive, medically unnecessary urinalysis drug tests were ordered, billed for, and paid. Compass Detox patients were given a so-called “Comfort Drink” to sedate them, and to keep them coming back. Patients were also given large and potentially harmful amounts of controlled substances, in addition to the “Comfort Drink,” to keep them compliant and docile, and to ensure they stayed at the facility.
Have I said anything about "lower than pond scum" yet?
The Markoviches were convicted last fall on a variety of charges, including health care fraud and paying and receiving kickbacks. It will come as no surprise that there was PPP fraud wrapped in there as well. (Jonathan had fraudulently gotten his hand on PPP money.)
And the other day, the Brothers Markovich were sentenced. Jonathan will be doing 188 months, Daniel 97 months.
Serves. Them. Right.
Those living on the streets can be tough and wily. They have to be. But they're also vulnerable, and to exploit them out of sheer greed is just despicable.
Jonathan Markowitz is 37. His brother is 33.
If Jonathan serves his full sentence, he won't be out until he's in his 50's. Daniel will be in his early 40's.
What their greed and evil has brought them is the loss of prime-of-life years.
Serves. Them. Right.
They'll be missing out on career-building, family life, going to restaurants, playing golf, taking vacations, driving with the top of the convertible down, raiding the refrigerator, tickets for the game. All of what makes life enjoyable and meaningful. All of life's little pleasures.
Serves. Them. Right.
Did anyone die on their watch? Did anyone overcome their addiction?
So many questions.
I'm a big believer in recovery, in redemption, in second chances.
A lot of the guests I talk to have been in prison. I don't need to pry to find this information out. Many folks announce that they've just gotten out, or that they don't want to use Bob Barker soap to take their shower because the Bob Barker company is a major provider of prison supplies. Mostly, I don't know what someone was in for. Once in a while, I find out.
"My" homeless shelter helps people with records find housing and jobs. And sometimes the folks we help really do turn their lives around.
Whether they do or not, they deserve our support as they try to rebuild lives lost to addiction and/or criminality and/or mental health problems AND (and it's always AND) bad luck.
So I hope the Markoviches, when they're released from prison, can rebuild their lives. They'll still be young enough, with plenty of life ahead of them.
In the meantime, given how many lives they've ruined, going to prison Serves. Them. Right.
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