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Founder of Mental Health Clinic Convicted of Health Care Fraud and
Distribution of Controlled Substances

 PHILADELPHIAA federal jury yesterday convicted Jo Benoit, a.k.a.
Elissa Jo Benoit, 77, of King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, of 76 counts
of health care fraud, aggravated identity theft, distribution of
controlled substances, and distribution of controlled substances to
minors, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger. Benoit
was the CEO and founder of a mental health clinic called Transition
Phase III. She opened the clinic in 2008 and advertised it as a trauma-
dpecific mental health clinic, directed at victims of trauma,
children, and members of the military and their families.

Though she was not a psychiatrist, Benoit portrayed herself as a
psychiatrist to the patients of the clinic.

Using the prescription pads of two actual psychiatrists, Benoit
provided forged prescriptions to the patients at the clinic and
medicated the patients that she purported to be treating. Benoit also
wrote prescriptions to children, one as young as 4 years old. In
furtherance of her crime, she also used the name and unique
identifying information of an actual psychiatrist to bill insurance
companies for patient visits. From February 4, 2009, until the clinic
was closed after a search warrant was executed in July 2011, the
defendant submitted thousands of bills to insurance companies,
charging them more than $500,000, as if the patients were being seen
by a psychiatrist.

Benoit faces in excess of 100 months in prison, a mandatory minimum
sentence of three years, a fine of up to $48 million, mandatory
restitution, and three years of supervised release.

United States District Norma Shapiro scheduled sentencing for
September 19, 2012.

The case was investigated by the United States Department of Health
and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Department of
Criminal Investigative Services, and the Federal Bureau of
Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States
Attorney Matthew JD. Hogan.

Reported by: FBI

Published on: 2012-06-12

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