Scientology grifters defy court and find themselves in a lot more trouble
One thing we have learned here over the years is that there are two words you never want to see one after the other: “Scientologist” and “chiropractor.”
Scientology targets chiropractors for recruitment through its business-consulting front, as well as veterinarians and dentists. And we’ve seen numerous cases of these church-affiliated professionals getting involved in outlandish illegal schemes.
It was just this March that we told you about a couple of flim-flam artists, both Scientologists, who were fined $5 million by the Federal Trade Commission and the state of Georgia for operating a scam that claimed to heal people with “stem cell” therapy (it really wasn’t), and ripping off ailing patients looking for solutions to their pain and suffering.
Scientologist chiropractor Steven Peyroux and former chiropractor Brent Detelich first came on our radar back in 2021 for their bogus scheme, and it looked like the feds had finally come down hard enough this year to teach them a lesson, at least.
But now there is much more to the story that has emerged just in the last few days.
On June 11, Georgia’s attorney general’s office filed a motion in federal court, pointing out that the pair had 45 days to pay their judgment, $3.3 million of which was restitution to their victims.
The purpose of fining them, the AG pointed out, was to “deter future unlawful conduct.” And if that seems like it goes without saying, the AG added that Peyroux was fined $5,000 for violating Georgia’s Fair Business Practices Act back in 2002, “A mere slap on the hand that clearly was not effective to deter future unlawful conduct.”
The two Scientologists were supposed to have paid the $5 million by February 9, but so far they had turned over only $1,400.
When the state notified them that they had failed to comply, they got no response.
During the case, Peyroux and his business had claimed poverty, but neither defendant had “introduced any record evidence of their inability to pay.”
Peyroux and Detelich were thumbing their noses at the court, the AG said, and asked the court to enforce the judgment.
Two weeks later, Peyroux and Detelich responded to the court, saying that their attorney, Steve Horowitz, “has previously attempted on several occasions to contact the State of Georgia to work out a payment plan.” And they would continue those efforts and determine “what assets, if any, exist” that could satisfy the judgment.
The state of Georgia was not amused.
Two days later, on June 27, the AG’s office filed a supplemental report the court had asked for, and detailed the investigations it had done into the finances of Peyroux and Detelich, accusing them both of living high, continuing to market their own lifestyles as proof to clients that their schemes work, and to do what they could to hide assets in elaborate overseas schemes or with relatives.
Peyroux, they pointed out, lived in this $1 million home in Georgia, and also appeared to own condos in Park City, Utah and Mandeville, Louisiana.
And Peyroux promotes a business, Legacy Doctors, to help doctors set up trusts to “safeguard your assets from potential lawsuits or claims.”
In fact, shortly after the $5 million judgment against the two was entered in January, “Peyroux can be seen promoting the services in videos posted on the Legacy Doctors’ Facebook page with what appears to be a ski resort in the background.”
The AG’s office said it believed Peyroux was protecting his assets in a financial arrangement called “private placement life insurance.”
And not only was there no record of their attorney, Steve Horowitz, trying to contact the AG’s office to work out a payment plan, but at his website Horowitz himself advertises that he specializes in asset protection with the use of private placement life insurance.
Detelich, meanwhile, has an Instagram account where, since being hit with the $5 million judgment he hasn’t paid, he’s posted photos of himself and Peyroux at an “Entrepreneurs Club” in Cancun, “smiling in a convertible,” and with Peyroux at an Austin hotel making a presentation for the Entrepreneurs Club.
“The foregoing posts suggest that Peyroux and Detelich have continued living lavish lifestyles, while remaining in the business of coaching others,” the AG concludes, and now the state of Georgia not only wanted the court to issue a finding of contempt, but also to incarcerate the two.
Meanwhile, things are getting much hotter for Peyroux.
On July 1, the US Department of Justice revealed that it had carried out the largest investigation of medical fraud in its history, and among the crooks it had caught were four defendants in Louisiana.
One of them was Steven Peyroux.
He’s been charged with fraud after allegedly running a $12 million scheme starting in 2022 to defraud Medicare by billing it for Covid-19 tests for patients who never requested them.
Peyroux, a chiropractor and purported health care consultant, conspired with others to pay kickbacks in exchange for Medicare beneficiary information nationwide, including names, Medicare identification numbers, and clearly fabricated recordings of individuals posing as beneficiaries and requesting OTC COVID-19 tests, which they used to bill Medicare for OTC COVID-19 tests that were not requested. In an attempt to avoid Medicare scrutiny, the indictment alleged that Peyroux and co-conspirators solicited multiple providers to join the scheme, who they directed to enter into sham agreements and make false statements in response to Medicare audits, to conceal the misconduct. Peyroux and his co-conspirators caused the submission of approximately $12.1 million in false and fraudulent claims, of which Medicare paid approximately $11 million. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas D. Moses of the Eastern District of Louisiana and Trial Attorney Kelly Z. Walters of the Gulf Coast Strike Force.
Um, wow.
"Stealing from the patients who rely on our government to provide healthcare is despicable," said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Tapp of the FBI New Orleans Field Office. "The FBI will continue working side by side with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana to bring these individuals to justice for their actions."
Peyroux’s initial appearance and arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday in New Orleans.
With both the state of Georgia and the US Attorney’s office seeking to incarcerate this Scientologist chiropractor, and decades of evidence that he is a career flim-flam artist who has thumbed his nose at his victims, will the court take him into custody?
We’re very curious to see what happens.
Bonus items from our tipsters
More Scientology child abuse, this time in the corrupt state of Florida.
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My reaction to the bonus item: How? What??? WHY?!?!?
For Scientologists any haired brain way of generating income is OK because they are giving a lot to their church which will eventually save the planet and the universe. Greatest good………..?