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Feds raid recovery facility at center of KARE 11 investigation
KARE 11 Investigators reporter A.J. Lagoe says dozens of federal agents descended on Evergreen Recovery around 7 a.m. to execute a search warrant.
ST PAUL, Minn — Dozens of federal agents descended on a St. Paul addiction treatment facility at the center of a KARE 11 investigation early Tuesday, serving a search warrant on Evergreen Recovery.
KARE 11 Investigates reporter A.J. Lagoe was on the scene as agents from the FBI and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) descended on the facility located on the 14000 block of Energy Park Drive in St. Paul. One of the duties of HHS is investigating allegations of Medicaid fraud.
Lagoe says both employees and clients are being turned away, and overheard workers telling clients that Evergreen is closed for the day.
In May of this year, KARE 11 confirmed that a federal investigation is underway into Evergreen Recovery after speaking with a number of former employees who said they’ve been interviewed by agents from both the Inspector General’s Office of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and the Minnesota Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Unit.
Evergreen Recovery serves approximately 600 clients dealing with addiction, many of whom live in Evergreen-affiliated sober houses. The treatment facility has been the subject of an ongoing KARE 11 investigation into allegations of billing irregularities, including those involving “peer services.”
At Evergreen Recovery, many services – including van transportation to counseling sessions, and sober home meetings – are provided by certified peer recovery specialists and billed to taxpayers.
However, KARE 11’s investigation discovered Evergreen has been using people who may not legally qualify as peers. Minnesota state law mandates peer recovery specialists – basically mentors for people battling addiction – be people with “a minimum of one year in recovery from substance use disorder.” But KARE 11 Investigates uncovered evidence that Evergreen allowed workers who are not in recovery to bill as peers.
In earlier reports, KARE 11 documented other examples of questionable billing at Evergreen. Both workers and clients accuse the company of improperly billing taxpayers for treatment never provided, falsely billing group activities as if they were a series of individual interactions and overstating the times spent on van rides to and from recovery treatment.
In one case, records obtained by KARE 11 show Evergreen billed taxpayers for 203 hours of peer support services supposedly worked by a single employee in a single day. Multiple sources say that the employee has never been in recovery – and therefore did not meet the legal requirement to bill as a peer.
Evergreen Recovery owner and CEO David Backus has denied all of the allegations.
MINNEAPOLIS — How much do you know about your grandma’s upbringing?
“The Stories From My Grandmother’s Hands” is a book that aims to show young Black children how their grandmas lived through beautiful illustrations and descriptions.
KARE 11 News at Noon shared more on Thursday about the impact that this book will have.
Gary Peterson and his friends are collecting donations to help people in their community.
ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. — A St. Louis Park pumpkin display is raising money for their local food shelf.
Gary Peterson started carving and painting three pumpkins over a decade ago. It’s now grown to over 100.
“I’ve heard people say they’ve come from Hutchinson,” he said.
Peterson along with two of his neighbors have spent the last 14 years growing their display, turning it into a neighborhood event.
“It’s been incredible, I just can’t believe how much this has expanded,” he said. “We did it just because we like to and then people were asking to give us money to cover the cost.”
The trio refused to take people’s money, but then one of them had an idea.
“My neighbor, Steve Leensvaart, just mentioned how about we just do it for the STEP program and the STEP program is our local food shelf in St. Louis Park,” he said.
So, they started to collect donations to help families in need. They’ve raised hundreds of dollars and donated hundreds of pounds of food over the last few years, carving for a cause.
“It is more gratifying every year,” Peterson said.
He estimated they have over 100 unique pumpkins in their yard. They’ve created the displays and come up with new family-friendly concepts for people to enjoy. Peterson said about 30 of their neighbors carved their own pumpkins to be put on display, and it’s been a big hit.
“It’s great. In the last couple of years, it’s turned into more of a neighborhood event,” said Sarah Durch.
“We love this Halloween display, we come every year to see it. We love that the whole community gets involved to craft and carve the pumpkins,” said Jami Gordon-Smith.
“The shading and the details are unbelievable,” said Elizabeth Hanson.
Hanson hopes to take her 2-year-old son trick or treating for the first time but is worried the cold temperatures might keep them indoors.
“We’re going trick or treating hopefully,” she said. “He’s going to be a firefighter, but we’re probably going to have sweatshirts maybe like two pairs of sweatpants underneath. We’re going to be bundled up.”
Gordon-Smith said her family will be out Halloween night no matter the weather.
“Halloween only comes once a year, so you really have to take advantage and enjoy the evening no matter what the weather brings,” she said. “Guess it’s not totally unheard of in Minnesota to have a cold Halloween, but we are going to try and modify and do a lot of layers underneath our costumes and then we might add some hats and maybe some warmer socks.”
Durch also isn’t surprised they’re in for another chilly night.
“Well, what would Halloween be without Minnesota cold? I feel like every time you plan a costume you have to plan for how you can make this work if it’s snowing,” she said.
Peterson said they will have a bonfire and some hot chocolate and cider on Halloween to keep trick-or-treaters warm while they look at their pumpkins.
Click here to learn where you can see the pumpkins and how you can donate.
Jeremy Jourdain was 17 when he was last seen on Halloween 2016.
BEMIDJI, Minn. — The search for Jeremy Jourdain, who was last seen on Halloween in 2016, continues now eight years later.
Jourdain was last seen at a family member’s house in Bemidji, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior Indian Affairs. He left the residence near the 500 block of Wood Avenue after midnight and while people followed him, no one was able to find him.
Jourdain was 17 at the time.
Officials said he was wearing a blue and grey sweatshirt, and blue jeans when last seen. He is Native American and is described as 6 foot 5 and 175 pounds.
If you have any information on his whereabouts, you can contact the Bemidji Police Department at (218) 333-9111. Tips can also be sent to 1-833-560-2065, or you can email ojs_mmu@bia.gov.
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