United States v. Port et al.
PENDING CRIMINAL DIVISION CASES
United States v. Port et al. (Safehaven)
Court Docket No. 1:19-cr-20583 (S.D. Florida)
Court Assigned: This case is assigned to Judge Raag Singhal, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, United States Federal Building and Courthouse, 299 East Broward Boulevard, Courtroom 110, Chambers 107, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301.
Updates:
Surrender Date as to defendant Brian Dublynn, shall be no later than March 25, 2024 by 12:00 p.m. Signed by Judge Raag Singhal on December 13, 2023.
On October 19, 2023, defendants Dublynn, Sanford, Hernandez, and Port were sentenced as follows:
Brian Dublynn - Sentenced to 42 months of imprisonment to be followed by 3 years of supervised release and ordered to pay $9,400,000.00 in restitution.
Jennifer Sanford – Sentenced to 3 years of supervised release and ordered to pay $1,146,722.00 in restitution.
Mark Hernandez – Sentenced to 52 months of imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release and ordered to pay $15,389,940.22 in restitution.
Peter Port - Sentenced to 108 months of imprisonment to be followed by 3 years of supervised release and ordered to pay $13,657,173.00 in restitution.
Defendants Sanford, Dublynn, and Hernandez were given credit for their substantial cooperation with law enforcement.
Criminal Charges:
The indictment alleges that from approximately July 2014 through September 2019, defendants Peter Port, Brian Dublynn, Jennifer Sanford, and Mark Hernandez conspired to defraud private health companies by causing Safe Haven Recovery Inc. (“Safe Haven”), a substance abuse treatment facility in Miami, along with several clinical laboratories, to submit false and fraudulent claims to health insurance plans for addiction treatment services that were not provided as billed and laboratory tests that were not medically necessary. The indictment further alleges that the conspirators permitted patients admitted to Safe Haven to use drugs in order to keep patients at Safe Haven so that Safe Haven could continue to bill insurance plans. The defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud; health care fraud; conspiracy to dispense and distribute a controlled substance; dispensing and distributing a controlled substance; conspiracy to pay and receive kickbacks; payment and offer of kickbacks in exchange for use of services; conspiracy to commit money laundering; and money laundering.
For more information about the charges, please see below:
Press Release
Superseding Indictment
*An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. *
The information on this website will be updated as new developments arise in the case. If you have any questions, please call the Victim Assistance Line toll-free at (888) 549-3945 or email us at victimassistance.fraud@usdoj.gov.
Presumption of Innocence: It is important to keep in mind that a complaint contains allegations only, and that defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty and that presumption requires both the court and our office to take certain steps to ensure that justice is served.
Crime Victims’ Rights Act and Right to Retain Counsel: Because charges have been filed in this case in federal court, you also may be entitled to the following rights, according to the Crime Victims’ Rights Act, Title 18, United States Code, Section 3771: (1) The right to be reasonably protected from the accused; (2) The right to reasonable, accurate, and timely notice of any public court proceeding, or any parole proceeding, involving the crime or of any release or escape of the accused; (3) The right not to be excluded from any such public court proceeding, unless the court, after receiving clear and convincing evidence, determines that testimony by the victim would be materially altered if the victim heard other testimony at that proceeding; (4) The right to be reasonably heard at any public proceeding in the district court involving release, plea, sentencing, or any parole proceeding; (5) The reasonable right to confer with the attorney for the Government in the case; (6) The right to full and timely restitution as provided in law; (7) The right to proceedings free from unreasonable delay; (8) The right to be treated with fairness and with respect for the victim’s dignity and privacy; (9) The right to be informed in a timely manner of any plea bargain or deferred prosecution agreement; and (10) The right to be informed of the rights under this section and the services described in section 503(c) of the Victims’ Rights and Restitution Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. § 10607(c)) and provided contact information for the Office of the Victims’ Rights Ombudsman of the Department of Justice. The Crime Victims’ Rights Act (18 U.S.C. § 3771) applies only to victims of the counts charged in federal court, and thus individuals may not be able to exercise all of these rights if the crime of which the individual is a victim was not charged.
Section 3771(c)(2) of this Act requires that we advise you that you have the right to retain counsel. Although the statute specifically sets forth your right to seek advice of an attorney with regard to your rights under the statute, there is no requirement that you retain counsel. The Government may not recommend any specific counsel, nor can the Government (or the Court) pay for counsel to represent you. Government attorneys represent the United States.
If you elect to obtain counsel to represent your interests, please have your attorney notify this office in writing at: U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Fraud Section, 10th & Constitution Avenue, NW, Bond Building, 4th Floor, Washington, DC 20530-0001, Attention: Victim Witness Unit; fax: (202) 514-3708; or email: victimassistance.fraud@usdoj.gov. If you elect not to retain counsel to represent your interests, you do not need to do anything.