PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A Phoenix man is set to spend the next few years behind bars for placing patients in unlicensed sober living homes for money.
Corey Dion Beckhum was sentenced last week to 3.5 years in prison after he was convicted of “patient brokering,” the Arizona Attorney General’s Office announced on Monday.
“Mr. Beckhum tried to profit off the suffering of vulnerable Arizonans by selling access to Medicaid patients like they were commodities,” Attorney General Kris Mayes said in a news release. “That’s not just illegal—it’s reprehensible. My office will continue to pursue and prosecute those who exploit our behavioral health system for personal gain. We will not allow criminals to treat people in crisis as paydays.”
Following a joint investigation and undercover operation, Beckhum was indicted in October 2023 after officials said Beckhum offered to take patients to a behavioral health facility in exchange for payment. The indictment alleged that he solicited a behavioral health facility for “per-person, per-day payment” between Sept. 29 and Oct. 16, 2023.
During the investigation, Beckhum entered negotiations with undercover agents to determine a price he would be paid for each Medicaid recipient or patient. Once a deal was reached, prosecutors say he took steps to deliver patients to an unlicensed home.
Investigators found 18 people living in unsanitary conditions at each of the four homes, each of whom was later given proper care and moved to licensed facilities.
Last month, a Maricopa County Superior Court jury found Beckhum guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit consideration for patient referral and one count of attempted consideration for patient referral. He was sentenced on July 25.
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