A Phoenix man is set to spend the next few years in prison for placing patients in unlicensed sober living homes for money.
Corey Dion Beckhum was sentenced to 3.5 years in jail last week after being found guilty of “patient brokering,” the Arizona Attorney General’s Office reported on Monday.
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“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.”
Beckhum was accused in October 2023 after officials alleged he offered to send individuals to a behavioral health center in exchange for cash. According to the accusation, he solicited a behavioral health facility for a “per-person, per-day payment” between September 29 and October 16, 2023.
During the inquiry, Beckhum conversed with undercover investigators to ascertain the payment amount for each Medicaid recipient or patient. Once a contract was established, authorities claim he took steps to transport patients to an unregistered house.
Investigators discovered 18 people living in unclean conditions at each of the four homes, all of whom were ultimately given proper care and sent to licensed institutions.
A Maricopa County Superior Court jury convicted Beckhum last month of one count of conspiracy to commit consideration for patient referral and one count of attempted consideration for patient referral. He was condemned on July 25.
