• Support
  • Advertise
  • Locations
  • Contact
Tuesday, March 21, 2023
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTERS
San Clemente Times
  • Calendar
    • Event Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Sections
    • Eye on SC
    • Soapbox
      • Submit a Letter
    • Getting Out
    • SC Living
    • Sports & Outdoors
    • SC Surf
    • Dana Point Times
    • Capistrano Dispatch
  • Digital Edition
  • Best of SC
  • Explore SC
  • Legals & Classifieds
    • Locals Only Business Directory
    • Classifieds
    • Submit a Classified
    • Obituaries
    • Announcements
    • Submit an Announcement
    • Legal & Public Notice Advertising
  • Special Publications
    • A New You
    • Aging Well – For the Young at Heart
    • Best of San Clemente
    • Crib to College
    • Festival of Whales Event Program
    • Go See Do
    • Holiday Happenings & Gift Guide
    • Money Matters
    • Swallows Day Parade & Mercado Event Guide
    • The Green Issue
    • Triton Football Preview
  • SC Guide
  • Real Estate
    • South County Real Estate Guide
    • Real Estate – Who’s Who
  • Calendar
    • Event Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Sections
    • Eye on SC
    • Soapbox
      • Submit a Letter
    • Getting Out
    • SC Living
    • Sports & Outdoors
    • SC Surf
    • Dana Point Times
    • Capistrano Dispatch
  • Digital Edition
  • Best of SC
  • Explore SC
  • Legals & Classifieds
    • Locals Only Business Directory
    • Classifieds
    • Submit a Classified
    • Obituaries
    • Announcements
    • Submit an Announcement
    • Legal & Public Notice Advertising
  • Special Publications
    • A New You
    • Aging Well – For the Young at Heart
    • Best of San Clemente
    • Crib to College
    • Festival of Whales Event Program
    • Go See Do
    • Holiday Happenings & Gift Guide
    • Money Matters
    • Swallows Day Parade & Mercado Event Guide
    • The Green Issue
    • Triton Football Preview
  • SC Guide
  • Real Estate
    • South County Real Estate Guide
    • Real Estate – Who’s Who
No Result
View All Result
San Clemente Times
No Result
View All Result

In Lawsuit, Sovereign Health Blames Health Net for June FBI Raid

Staff by Staff
August 22, 2017 10:57AM
in Breaking News, EYE ON SC
Update: Healthcare Insurance Company is Providing ‘Alternatives’ to Sovereign Health

FBI agents raided Sovereign Health, a behavioral health treatment provider based in San Clemente, on Tuesday, June 13. The nature of the investigation has not been revealed by the FBI. Photo: Eric Heinz

8
SHARES
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Behavioral health treatment company files to have FBI search warrant unsealed

By Eric Heinz

The Dual Diagnosis Treatment Center, Inc., also known as Sovereign Health, filed a motion in federal court on Aug. 15 requesting a judge unseal the search warrant from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that allowed agents to conduct a raid on its facilities as well as the home of its CEO, Tonmoy Sharma, on June 13.

Click here to read the motion filed by Sovereign Health

Sovereign Health is claiming the investigations were “induced” by the insurance company Health Net, Inc. (Health Net) in order to gain favor of the insurance provider’s existing lawsuit with Sovereign and other healthcare companies.

  • See “Sovereign Health Issues Statement Regarding FBI Investigation”

“That and other aspects of the warrants suggest that the affidavit likely contains false and misleading information and omits other material information,” the motion stated. “Sovereign and Dr. Sharma thus seek to obtain a copy of the warrant in order to determine whether the searches were lawfully authorized, and to take appropriate action if they were not.”

When inquiring about the reasons behind the FBI raid on the Sovereign facilities, FBI spokesperson Laura Eimiller told the San Clemente Times on two separate occasions—once immediately following the raids and another at the beginning of August—that the warrants are under seal by a federal judge and that the bureau could not disclose the nature of its investigation. The FBI did confirm, however, that it was conducting an investigation at the company’s Southern California locations as well as Vedanta Laboratories where agents were seen carrying out materials and speaking to employees on June 13.

FBI agents raided Sovereign Health, a behavioral health treatment provider based in San Clemente, on Tuesday, June 13. The nature of the investigation has not been revealed by the FBI. Photo: Eric Heinz
FBI agents raided Sovereign Health, a behavioral health treatment provider based in San Clemente, on Tuesday, June 13. The nature of the investigation has not been revealed by the FBI. Photo: Eric Heinz

The lawsuit claims that during the raids, the FBI illegally seized property “outside the scope of the authorized seizures, traumatizing both employees and patients” as well as being responsible for reputable damages to the company. Sovereign is also claiming the investigation pertains to insurance fraud because there is no “genuine concern of evidence destruction or witness intimidation” and therefore, should be unsealed, making the warrant documents public.

Counter to the alleged claims for the raid, Sovereign turns the fraud allegations finger to Health Net, citing their “checkered history of fraud and other unlawful…conduct.” Health Net provided insurance services to Sovereign’s clients, but those provisions soon became prohibitively expensive due to the increased demand and access to services, according to the lawsuit.

“On June 30, 2016, Sovereign filed a complaint against Health Net in the Los

Angeles Superior Court, alleging bad faith, breach of contract and other state law claims resulting from Health Net’s wrongful denial of over $55 million in claims by Sovereign,” the lawsuit stated.

The Aug. 15 lawsuit mentions the insurance provider is currently under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice for Medicare claims fraud. Sovereign’s legal team said Health Net has provided millions in settlements for other investigations.

Sovereign Health has had a tumultuous relationship with the city of San Clemente for some time. Since at least 2014, residents have staged protests in front of their corporate headquarters or other residential facilities in the city that are owned or operated by the company. Complaints from residents range from continued disruptions to not following ordinances for the reasons behind the various protests against Sovereign Health.

A hearing on the case is requested in the suit for 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 19, in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana.

This is a developing story. The San Clemente Times will provide more information on this issue once it becomes available.

 

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related

Tags: BehaviorBreakingCaliforniaDual DiagnosticsFeaturedHealth NetLawsuitOrange CountySan ClementeSovereign HealthTreatment
ShareTweetPin8
Staff

Staff

Related Posts

Caltrans to Temporarily Close 5 Freeway at El Toro, Alicia Parkway for Overnight Construction

Left Two Lanes on Interstate 5 North Closed Near Camino de Estrella

March 21, 2023
Historical Society Celebrates 50 Years of Preservation

Historical Society Celebrates 50 Years of Preservation

March 20, 2023
Student Mask Requirements Dominate Discussions at Tense CUSD Meeting

Council to Vote on New Legal Services Provider

March 20, 2023
Dana Wharf Whale Report: As Gray Whales Continue Northbound Migration, Fin Whales Populate the Coast

Dana Wharf Whale Report: As Gray Whales Continue Northbound Migration, Fin Whales Populate the Coast

March 18, 2023
Next Post
Registration Open for Live Like Nick 5K

Registration Open for Live Like Nick 5K

Discussion about this post

No Result
View All Result

SC Times Daily
Get important news and updates delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up here.

Subscriptions
Don’t get the SC Times delivered to your home? Subscribe today.

Advertising
Get new customers and drive traffic to your business. Advertise with us.

Support Local Journalism
For less than the cost of a couple of cups of coffee a month, become an “Insider” member and continue to get “Local News You Can Use” from the only independently owned, dedicated local news organization in South Orange County.

Contribute today.

Picket Fence Media is a proud member of the SoCal Media Network.

  • Archive
  • Contact Us
  • Dana Point Times
  • The Capistrano Dispatch
  • Terms of Use
  • About Us

© 2023 Picket Fence Media

No Result
View All Result
  • Calendar
    • Event Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Sections
    • Eye on SC
    • Soapbox
      • Submit a Letter
    • Getting Out
    • SC Living
    • Sports & Outdoors
    • SC Surf
    • Dana Point Times
    • Capistrano Dispatch
  • Digital Edition
  • Best of SC
  • Explore SC
  • Legals & Classifieds
    • Locals Only Business Directory
    • Classifieds
    • Submit a Classified
    • Obituaries
    • Announcements
    • Submit an Announcement
    • Legal & Public Notice Advertising
  • Special Publications
    • A New You
    • Aging Well – For the Young at Heart
    • Best of San Clemente
    • Crib to College
    • Festival of Whales Event Program
    • Go See Do
    • Holiday Happenings & Gift Guide
    • Money Matters
    • Swallows Day Parade & Mercado Event Guide
    • The Green Issue
    • Triton Football Preview
  • SC Guide
  • Real Estate
    • South County Real Estate Guide
    • Real Estate – Who’s Who

© 2023 Picket Fence Media