(WXYZ) — The owner of a Troy facility who is charged in connection with a 5-year-old boy who died in a hyperbaric chamber explosion is now facing health care fraud charges.
Tamela Peterson, 59, of Brighton, was charged with nine counts of Health Care Fraud – False Claim, according to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.
Peterson is already facing second-degree murder charges after the death of 5-year-old Thomas Cooper at The Oxford Center in Troy last January. Cooper was inside a hyperbaric chamber in the facility when it exploded.
According to the attorney general's office, the Oxford Recovery Center in Brighton and The Oxford Center in Troy were used to treat a wide variety of patients for different issues.
Watch below: Four people arrested in hyperbaric chamber explosion that killed boy
Prosecutors say Peterson had knowledge of and was the beneficiary of fraudulent health care claim practices, including billing for services not rendered.
The AG's office said investigators began looking into the alleged practices in September 2022 after complaints from former providers and patients.
“Filing false claims impacts not only patients and providers, but also contributes to increased costs of healthcare and medical insurance for everybody,” Nessel said in a statement. “Health care fraud undermines the trust between patients and providers and patients’ notions of confidentiality and care. My office will continue to hold accountable those who take advantage of their practice for their own financial benefit.”
