Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
WEST JORDAN — A former Cirque Lodge consultant faces criminal charges after investigators say he used patient information to file fraudulent insurance claims.
Morris Harry Halperin, 72, of Los Angeles, was charged Thursday in 3rd District Court with pattern of unlawful activity and two counts of fraudulent insurance act, all second-degree felonies. He was also charged with seven counts of identity fraud crimes, a second-degree felony, among other charges.
According to the charges, Halperin, a doctor, consulted at the substance abuse treatment facility between October 2015 and June 2016. He was not a treatment provider, investigators said.
During his time providing consultant services for Cirque Lodge, he allegedly obtained names, birthdays, addresses and insurance information from several patients at the clinic, the charges state.
Among the false claims, Halperin allegedly billed SelectHealth about $39,000 for six patients who said they did not know and were not treated by Halperin, according to court documents. He also billed Blue Cross Blue Shield about $35,000 for four patients, investigators said.
The upscale treatment lodge in Orem has served a number of high-profile clients, including Lindsay Lohan and David Hasselhoff.
Correction: A previous version identified Morris Harry Halperin as a former employee of Cirque Lodge. He was actually a private contractor who was hired as a consultant, according to Cirque Lodge representatives.
