Local Business · Fort Lauderdale, FL
Fort Lauderdale-Based Autism Therapy Firm Under Federal Fraud Investigation
ABA Centers of America, headquartered at 110 E. Broward Blvd in Fort Lauderdale, has acknowledged a federal investigation by the U.S. DOJ and U.S. Attorney's Office in Concord, New Hampshire, into alleged healthcare fraud including false billing of medically unnecessary services across multiple states. The company, founded in 2020 with over 2,000 employees in 10+ states, faces civil suits from Publix Super Markets (approximately $15 million) and Harvard Pilgrim/Point32Health (over $19 million) alleging inflated insurance claims; the Publix case was moved to U.S. District Court in Fort Lauderdale before Judge Raag Singhal. No criminal charges have been filed as of the article's publication. Founder Christopher M. Barnett, who leased a waterfront home in Fort Lauderdale, had a $55 million pledge to Temple University terminated in September after the investigation became known.