Murrieta Woman Stole Hundreds Of Thousands In Insurance Fraud Scheme, Prosecutors Allege

MURRIETA, CA – A Murrieta woman is jailed Thursday, accused in an insurance fraud case that allegedly netted her more than $230,000. Brooke Elizabeth Best-Freeman, 34, operated a licensed alcohol and drug treatment program in the Murrieta and Temecula areas, according to the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.

The charges against Best-Freeman, who had run Best New Life Recovery since 2015, were announced on Wednesday and include four felony counts of insurance fraud and one felony count of solicitation or referral for purposes of insurance fraud – which is sometimes known as "capping." She's also facing a sentence-enhancing white collar crime allegation.

Best-Freeman surrendered to authorities on Wednesday and was booked into downtown Riverside jail a short time later on $231,000 bail.

Her co-defendant, 49-year-old Robert Cramer of Lake Elsinore, is charged with one count of referral of a client for purposes of insurance fraud, and is the alleged "capper" in the case. He remains at large.

According to prosecutors, Best-Freeman came under investigation last September after the D.A.'s office was contacted by fraud investigators from Health Net Inc. who had flagged multiple billings from the defendant's business, Best New Life Recovery.

The treatment facility, originally located in Murrieta, then Temecula, was licensed by the California Department of Health Care Services in 2015.

Prosecutors allege that, over a nine-month period, Best-Freeman submitted claims to Health Net and Cigna for treatments that were never provided to patients. The defendant also allegedly misclassified other services, forging or otherwise altering documents to commit acts of fraud, according to the D.A.'s office.

Cramer, the alleged "capper," was tasked with finding prospects willing to go along with the conspiracy. He was promised $2,000 for his part, according to the prosecution.

Health Net lost just over $195,000 paying the alleged bogus claims, while Cigna suffered a $36,000 loss, according to court papers.

Best-Freeman is slated to be arraigned Friday at the Riverside Hall of Justice. She has prior misdemeanor convictions for driving under the influence and being an unlicensed operator of a motor vehicle, according to court records.

– City News Service contributed to this report / Image via Riverside County Sheriff's Department