On February 8, 2017, Chiropractor William Guenther, 69, of Granite Bay, the former owner of Fort Sutter Chiropractic, was arraigned in Sacramento Superior Court on eight felony counts of insurance fraud for his alleged role in a fraudulent billing scheme for treatment services never provided. The scheme targeted health and auto insurance companies.

Pam Rivas, 58, of Cameron Park and office managers Cristen Jones-Hassanali, 37, of Sacramento and Stacey Fellows, 37, also of Sacramento face seven counts of felony insurance charges.

An investigation by California Department of Insurance detectives revealed Guenther, and his staff billed several insurers for mechanical traction treatments for 50 to 70 patients per day between 2012 and 2015, when no mechanical traction units were in the office. Insurers paid $150,325 to Fort Sutter Chiropractic in fraudulent claims.

"Health insurance fraud is rampant in California, totaling billions of dollars annually and requiring consumers to pay higher premiums," said Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones. "One of the top priorities of this department is to investigate fraud, including medical provider fraud, which is often complex and costly."

“Commissioner Jones and his team of experienced and motivated detectives have proven themselves time and again, insurance fraud of any kind is not tolerated,” said California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) President Alan Barcelona.   “These detectives are brilliant at their jobs and are committed to wiping out insurance fraud in California.”

The suspects self-surrendered on February 2, 2017.