OH MY GOD: How An Arizona Church Stole Millions

The Church is one of the oldest institutions in the world. Spanning literally thousands of years, their mission is a clear one: spread the word of God at every corner of the earth.

Many churches engage in philanthropy, helping the less fortunate, so why on earth is one Arizona Church only thinking in their best interests?

Medicaid Fraud

This story starts with one of Arizona's most controversial programs: Sober Living Homes. There have been a litany of allegations against homes like this in the Grand Canyon State, and it turns out these didn't go deep enough.

Happy House Behavioral Health is the prime culprit, allegedly taking referrals from Sober Living Homes to, in turn, receive money from the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, which they pocketed. They also billed deceased or incarcerated clients, allowing them to make off with even more money.

Arizona is Complicit in Dozens off Native Deaths

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The Church's Dirty Laundry

Charges allege that the Hope of Life International Church was key to laundering this money, keeping the fraud behind closed doors. It was discovered that, in mid-2023, Hope of Life International Church was paid $5 Million by Happy House Behavioral. Soon after, they transferred $2 Million to someone in Rwanda.

The church adamantly denies this, claiming they accepted the money as a donation in good faith. Regardless of the money, this scam hurt the most vulnerable of our society, specifically Arizona's native population, many of whom were left on the streets after wanting nothing more than a clean start. All in all, over $60 Million was stolen from Arizona's Medicaid, and over 100 people and companies have been charged already.

[Associated Press]