A Valley man's death has his family questioning Arizona's rehab industry as officials say the state has lost billions of dollars to fraud.PHOENIX — He did good in school and he had a lot of friends, Sylvia Tryon said, sitting at a table just a few feet from photos of her son, Mickey
He ended up on probation, and then in multiple rehabs. One of those rehabs was Pathfinders, a facility that shut down after the state accused it of fraud. But there are rules. Only licensed sober living facilities can give out medication to clients. Mickey Tryon was on a lot of medication for various conditions. The apartment owner told Sylvia that Mickey would have to find another place to live because she couldn't dispense that medication.On Aug. 19, 2023, Mickey Tryon overdosed. His bloodwork showed fentanyl and methamphetamine.
We talked to the woman who runs the apartment that took Mickey Tryon in. 12News is not naming the complex because it has not been accused of wrongdoing and people still live there. Heredia said her agency is trying to tackle the problem of AHCCCS fraud. So far, the agency has suspended more than 300 businesses accused of fraud and other crimes. Pathfinders, Mickey Tryon's former rehab, is one of those businesses."There's a lot of money," Sylvia said.