BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (AP) - The head of a southwestern Michigan mental health agency has learned his future: at least 32 months in prison for using public money to hire a fortuneteller.
Ervin Brinker was sentenced by a Lansing-area judge Wednesday, two months after pleading guilty to embezzlement and Medicaid fraud conspiracy.
Brinker was CEO at Summit Pointe, a mental health organization in Battle Creek that serves people in five counties. He was accused of spending $510,000 on a palm reader and her husband in Key West, Florida, and concealing it from others.
The attorney general’s office says Brinker will pay double that amount as restitution and a civil penalty. A message seeking comment from his attorney wasn’t immediately returned.
Brinker will be eligible for parole after 32 months.
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