First person sentenced in Arizona's sober living scheme crackdown

PHOENIX - The first person has been sentenced in connection to Arizona's sober living home fraud scheme.

Thirty-seven-year-old Ariel Dix pleaded guilty to two felony counts of illegal control of an enterprise.

On May 30, she was sentenced to three and a half years in prison. Dix helped create fake clinics that fraudulently billed the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) for services.

This sentencing is the first in the larger sober living home fraud scheme.

The attorney general's office says the scheme involves healthcare providers targeting vulnerable people, many of whom are Native Americans seeking addiction help.

The scheme has reportedly cost taxpayers several billion dollars.