Attorney General Mayes Highlights Success of Sober Living Home Fraud Grant Program

PHOENIX – One year after Attorney General Kris Mayes awarded a Sober Living Home Support Program grant to Defenders of Children, the Arizona Attorney General's Office today announced significant results: the establishment of Arizona's first statewide civil legal services program dedicated to Tribal members — a direct response to the AHCCCS sober living home fraud scandal that harmed some of the state's most vulnerable Native communities.

Funded through the Anti-Racketeering Revolving Fund, the grant was designed to support Tribal members across Arizona whose communities were disproportionately impacted by one of the largest Medicaid fraud schemes in state history, including women and children who were trafficked from rural Arizona to Metro Phoenix.

In the past year, Defenders of Children has:

• Gained admission to practice in Tribal courts across 15 of Arizona's 22 Tribal Nations, with more underway, reaching every region of the state
• Begun providing free expert civil legal services in federal, state, and Tribal court to survivors and those affected by the fraud
• Established closed-loop referral procedures with Tribal government agencies and Native American-focused nonprofits throughout Arizona
• Partnered with the Phoenix Indian Center — a fellow grantee — to launch a public legal education initiative, including a series of virtual Attorney Chats designed to inform and empower Tribal members

“This grant program was always intended to help the communities harmed by the sober living home fraud scandal," said Attorney General Kris Mayes. "Defenders of Children has created a program that addresses a critical need for Tribal communities. I want to thank them for their hard work and their commitment to the people they serve. I call on the Arizona Legislature to recognize the value of innovative, community-driven approaches like this one and to provide additional funding so that this critical work can continue and expand."

"This grant has allowed us to begin building something Arizona has never had before — a truly statewide legal safety net that meets Tribal members where they are, in their communities, in their courts, and in a manner that honors their Nations’ diverse legal traditions," said David J. Newstone, Executive Director of Defenders of Children. "We are profoundly grateful to Attorney General Mayes for her support and her commitment to the healing and empowerment of Tribal members throughout Arizona."

All services provided under the program are delivered in accordance with Defenders of Children's commitment to trauma-informed, dignity-affirming, and culturally appropriate legal representation provided by licensed attorneys.

The Sober Living Home Support Program was established by Attorney General Mayes to provide resources toward individuals and communities most harmed by the widespread sober living home fraud that exploited Arizona's Medicaid system and preyed upon vulnerable Arizonans, including members of Tribal Nations.