$500K in Public Money Used on Palm Reader: Report

Evin Brinker allegedly paid more than $500,000 to a Florida psychic under the guise of “health-care consulting,” Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette said. (Photo submitted)

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A fired county health officer in Michigan faces felony Medicaid fraud and embezzlement charges after an investigation showed he spent more than $500,000 in county funds to consult with a psychic palm reader in Florida, state Attorney General Bill Schuette said Wednesday.

Ervin Brinker, 68, of Delton, was charged with two counts of Medicaid fraud conspiracy and one count of embezzlement by a public officer, all 10-year felonies, Schuette said in a statement.

Until he was fired on Feb. 17, Brinker was the CEO of Summit Pointe, a Calhoun County community mental health authority under contract with the state to provide behavioral health services to Medicaid-eligible residents in the Battle Creek area.

When a whistleblower alerted Summit Pointe directors to possible irregularities in contracts and expenses, an independent investigator was hired to conduct an external examination, Summit Pointe Board chair Trae Allman said in a statement.

“What we found through that process increasingly disappointed and alarmed us as a Board, and among a series of other necessary actions, we contacted the appropriate authorities,” Allman said.

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The attorney general’s Health Care Fraud Division began investigating in December, and found payments of $510,000 to a Key West, FL, palm reader and her husband had occurred from May 2011 to November 2012, Schuette said. The payments were allegedly made under the guise of ”health-care consulting.”

As CEO, Brinker had the authority to contractually bind Summit Pointe without board approval, and he allegedly signed the fraudulent contracts without the consultation of other employees, Schuette said. Additionally, Brinker did not notify Summit Pointe’s board of directors of the contracts.

Charges were filed in the city of East Lansing’s 54B District Court Tuesday, and Brinker was arraigned Wednesday. Judge Richard Ball set bond at $25,000 personal recognizance, and Brinker was released from custody.

His next court date is Aug. 12 in Ingham County Circuit Court.