Global Recovery Resources

that provide medical services, counseling and behavioral therapy.

Florida law prohibits anyone from offering or paying any commission, kickback or bribe to promote the referral of patients to or from a health care provider.

Illegal patient brokering occurs, for example, when sober home owners refer people living at their houses to specific treatment centers in exchange for a kickback, often cash.

Three of those arrested Thursday are charged with patient brokering in connection with a scheme involving James Tomasso, who operated substance abuse treatment centers in Boca Raton, Greenacres and Delray Beach.

Authorities arrested Tomasso, who ran Global Recovery Resources, in February. He pleaded guilty to 21 counts of patient brokering.

Toni Lucca, Michael Martin and Sean O’Hara received money from Tomasso in return for referring patients at their sober homes for treatment at Tomasso’s centers, according to Delray Beach police reports.

All three sent pictures of driver’s licenses and insurance cards to Tomasso to identify patients for brokering.

Lucca owned Pura Vida Halfway House, records show. She was arrested on 10 counts of aiding, abetting or participating in patient brokering and received at least $7,900 in exchange for patient referrals, according to an arrest report.

Martin owned Fresh Beginnings Sober Living, records show. He was arrested on 24 counts of aiding, abetting or participating in patient brokering and received at least $19,400 in exchange for patient referrals, according to an arrest report

O’Hara owned Life Rewritten, records show. He was arrested on five counts of aiding, abetting or participating in patient brokering and received at least $7,900 in exchange for patient referrals, according to an arrest report.