Originally published November 10 2005
Kansas psychotherapists convicted for abusing mentally ill patients
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Arlan and Linda Kaufman, a husband and wife team of psychotherapists operating in Kansas, were convicted by the Wichita district court for healthcare fraud and forced labor, after videotapes of patients being forced to work in the nude and engage in various sexual acts were used in court against them.
A Kansas couple who ran a psychotherapy practice were convicted on Monday of holding mentally ill people as slaves and forcing them to perform sex acts on videotape while billing Medicare nearly $1 million for therapy.
Arlan Kaufman, 69, was convicted of 33 criminal counts, including charges of forced labor, involuntary servitude, health care fraud, mail fraud and obstruction of a federal audit.
His wife, Linda Kaufman, 62, was found guilty of all charges with the exception of one charge of making a false writing.
The judge in the case ordered their bonds revoked and remanded them to jail.
During the trial in the U.S. District Court in Wichita, prosecutors said the Kaufmans billed relatives and insurers for therapy, rent, utilities and food for patients who were forced to engage in manual labor in the nude on a farm the couple owned and to pose for videotapes in a variety of sexual acts.
Patients were physically injured or restrained if they resisted, authorities charged.
Authorities said the abuse began in 1985 and involved at least 14 mentally ill people.
The Kaufmans submitted almost $1 million in claims to Medicare from 1991 through 2000 and were paid $216,906, authorities said.
The couple face more than 200 years in prison.
No date has yet been set for sentencing.
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