FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A fast-growing multi-state autism therapy firm headquartered in Fort Lauderdale has acknowledged that it is currently the target of a sweeping federal investigation concerning its billing practices, even as it defends itself against mounting civil lawsuits from major health insurers and grapples with the fallout from a fractured philanthropic pledge.
ABA Centers of America, whose rapid financial expansion and commercial success propelled it to national prominence in less than six years following its founding in 2020, has been under intense federal scrutiny since early 2025. The investigation is being led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in New Hampshire, where a federal magistrate authorized investigators to thoroughly examine the emails and electronic communications of company founder Christopher M. Barnett and multiple top-tier corporate executives.
An extensive 81-page federal affidavit submitted to a New Hampshire federal magistrate—seeking access to the Microsoft accounts of various ABA executives—reveals that federal agents are actively investigating possible offenses including false statements relating to healthcare matters, wire fraud, healthcare fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and transacting in criminal proceeds. Court filings indicate that prosecutors handling the case are attached to the fraud section of the U.S. Justice Department’s criminal division in Washington, D.C., working in close coordination with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Concord, New Hampshire.
Despite the breadth of the ongoing inquiry, the federal investigation has not resulted in any formal criminal charges against any business entity or individual thus far.
“हम aware that the federal government is investigating the company,” said Maria Isina Areco, director of public relations for ABA Centers and its parent organization, ICBD Holdings, in an emailed statement to the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “We are working with federal investigators and will respond at the appropriate time.”
According to the detailed law enforcement affidavit, the core focus of the probe centers on allegations of fraudulent billing practices targeting healthcare benefit programs. Investigators allege that the company billed for “medically unnecessary services purportedly rendered in the District of Massachusetts, District of New Hampshire, and elsewhere by submitting claims that misrepresented the place of service, rendering provider and medical necessity of the services.”
The affidavit further alleges that the company, operating through an affiliated billing arm, “additionally billed for services that did not qualify as legitimate medical treatment, such as when a client is napping or watching television.” Investigators assert that ABA Centers provided these purported therapy services based not on clinical medical necessity, but rather on an internal rating system that categorized child and teenage patients according to the potential profits the enterprise could extract from each patient’s health insurance plan.
Through a combination of corporate records and witness interviews with multiple former employees and patients, investigators pieced together specific operational patterns. For instance, the affidavit notes that ABA Centers of America allegedly billed services provided in Massachusetts as though they were delivered in New Hampshire, taking advantage of the reality that insurance plans in New Hampshire reimbursed providers at significantly higher rates than those in Massachusetts.
Furthermore, the affidavit alleges that founder Christopher M. Barnett “used the ill-gotten proceeds from this fraudulent billing to make extravagant purchases to support a lavish lifestyle, such as luxury automobiles.” Court documents assert that Barnett acquired a private corporate jet and leased a multi-million-dollar waterfront residence in Fort Lauderdale.
Concurrent Civil Litigation
In addition to the federal criminal inquiry, ABA Centers of America is embroiled in high-stakes civil litigation with corporate giants such as Publix Super Markets and its affiliated insurance plan, Publix Super Markets, Inc. Group Health Benefits, according to court documents and published reports.
The legal battle initially began when ABA sued the supermarket chain in a Florida state court, claiming that it was owed millions of dollars in unpaid medical claims. Publix fired back with a decisive counterclaim filed in federal court in the Middle District of Florida, alleging a sweeping fraud scheme operating under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, commonly known as RICO.
The Publix complaint, which seeks approximately $15 million in damages, described ABA Centers as an organization that outwardly presented itself as a provider of high-quality autism therapy to families with children on the autism spectrum, while allegedly generating massive, unjustified financial claims behind the scenes.
The litigation involving Publix was transferred in late 2025 to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in Fort Lauderdale and assigned to U.S. District Judge Raag Singhal. In recent proceedings, Judge Singhal permitted the bulk of the Publix lawsuit to move forward, allowing six out of nine counts to stand and giving ABA’s defense attorneys from the Greenberg Traurig law firm a deadline of October 16 to respond.
“Before the court is a civil case that could also be brought as a criminal action,” Judge Singhal wrote in an order dated August 28.
“Plaintiffs — an employer and an insurance plan — allege that healthcare provider Defendants committed insurance fraud,” he elaborated. “Plaintiffs allege that Defendants submitted inflated bills to Plaintiffs and intended Plaintiffs to calculate the amount owed under the insurance plan based off the inflated amounts, even though Defendants never intended to collect significant portions of those totals from the employee Plan Members who received treatment.”
Explaining the mechanics of the alleged scheme, Judge Singhal noted that if the company submitted a $1,000 bill for a brief appointment where the plan required the employer to pay 60% and the member to pay 40%, the provider would collect the 60% from the plan and only a nominal amount from the member. The inflated total was allegedly designed to make the employer believe it owed a larger share, while plan members raised no objections because their out-of-pocket costs were negligible. The court emphasized that while plaintiffs alleged fraud, it had not been officially advised whether a concurrent criminal case was formally pending.
Parallel civil litigation is also unfolding in a Massachusetts state court between ABA Centers and health insurers Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Point32Health Services. After ABA initially filed suit alleging nonpayment of claims, subsidiaries of Point32 filed an amended counterclaim against ABA and a related entity, Integrative Healthcare Services, in late 2025. Those insurers are seeking more than $19 million in damages for an alleged widespread scheme to defraud their companies.
College Walks Away from $55M Pledge
The existence of the federal criminal investigation first came to light publicly through a Substack online publishing outlet titled “Reinforcement & Ruin,” authored by Samantha Parnham, a certified behavioral health analyst who operates an independent practice in Oregon. Her six-part series summarized the federal investigation using details extracted from court records alongside civil filings brought by health insurers. Industry trade publications such as Behavior Health Business and Acuity Media have also closely tracked the unfolding legal developments.
Despite the federal investigation having been active for well over a year, news of the probe apparently did not reach Temple University in Philadelphia—Barnett’s undergraduate alma mater—until early September. One year prior, the university had proudly accepted a landmark $55 million philanthropic pledge from Barnett directed toward its school of public health.
In recognition of what was hailed as the largest gift in Temple University’s history, the institution temporarily renamed its College of Public Health the Christopher M. Barnett College of Public Health.
However, in a campus-wide letter issued in September, Temple President John Fry and Board Chair Mitchell L. Morgan announced that the university and Barnett had “mutually agreed to terminate his $55 million philanthropic commitment that was announced in October 2025.” The university confirmed that no financial contributions had actually been paid toward the pledge prior to the termination.
University leadership also confirmed that the building naming rights associated with Barnett had been rescinded. While a Temple media relations executive did not respond to inquiries from the Sun Sentinel regarding the split, university leaders noted in their campus letter that Barnett had “strenuously” denied any wrongdoing and was concurrently dealing with a “life-threatening” medical issue.
Representatives for ABA Centers have declined to answer inquiries from the Sun Sentinel concerning Barnett’s current health status or whether he maintains an active supervisory role within the enterprise he founded.
A ‘Disruptive’ Business Model
Established in 2020, ABA Centers of America experienced meteoric revenue growth that propelled it to prominent positions on various national business rankings. In 2024, the enterprise secured the No. 5 spot on the Inc. 5000 list of fast-growing companies, followed by a No. 25 ranking nationally and No. 15 on a Southeast regional list the subsequent year.
Barnett, who has described himself as a serial entrepreneur, previously worked in the real estate sector before exiting the market during the 2008 housing crash. In addition to his political science degree from Temple University, public biographies indicate he earned a law degree from Nova Southeastern University in Davie, Florida, though he is not listed as an active member of The Florida Bar.
Redirecting his professional focus toward healthcare, Barnett built his current enterprise from the ground up. According to a profile published by Florida Trend, an early venture founded by Barnett called GateHouse Treatment—a behavioral healthcare center located in Nashua, New Hampshire—“became the cornerstone of what would eventually become ICBD Holdings — the Fort Lauderdale-based holding company that today controls ABA Centers, Curative AI, Exact Billing Solutions, and several other ventures.” ICBD Holdings maintains its corporate headquarters at 110 E. Broward Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale.
While the profile reported that ABA employed more than 2,000 individuals across centers operating in more than 10 states, industry trade reports have noted subsequent layoffs and the closure of several facilities over the past year.
Within the local community, Barnett has maintained an active profile supporting child welfare initiatives. Earlier this year, he was inducted into the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County Alumni Hall of Fame, having spent his childhood as a “Club Kid” in Lauderhill, according to promotional materials. In 2024, he was also appointed to the board of directors for the foundations of Memorial and Joe DiMaggio Children’s hospitals.
In its recent public statement provided to the Sun Sentinel, ABA Centers characterized its corporate approach as a business model “disruptive to the status quo.”
“We always knew that our business model is disruptive to the status quo and upends current business models for both providers and payors,” the company stated. “It is also important to note that this investigation does not appear to be focused on the quality of the care that we provide.”
The statement emphasized that autism treatment represents a fast-growing and rapidly evolving healthcare sector, adding that the firm strives daily to adapt to changing industry standards. “We have always been guided by our mission to deliver life-changing outcomes for people with autism, and their families, and a number of principles that are fundamental to it. First and foremost, we are committed to getting children off waiting lists where they often languish for far too long,” the statement noted. “We understand the importance of early treatment and believe deeply in individualized care programs where the level and type of care is determined by data.”
Centers in South and Central Florida
Company statements and public records indicate that ABA Centers began expanding its physical footprint into Florida under the trade name ABA Centers of Florida starting in 2022 with an initial location in Port St. Lucie. Additional centers quickly followed in Jensen Beach, Tamarac, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, and Orlando.
The company stressed that its Florida facilities have successfully helped “diagnose and treat thousands of children on the autism spectrum. Our approach embraces best practices and the highest standard of care, beginning with an assessment that utilizes the best clinical tools available to the profession.”
“A plan of care is then developed by a clinician — a treatment plan that is individualized, data-driven and science-backed,” the statement concluded. “That treatment plan establishes the amount of care needed for each client on a weekly basis, and the specifics of their treatment to maximize the clinical outcome. Our care decisions are guided by the treatment plan, which is implemented by a dedicated team of providers. We present the treatment plan to health care payors for authorization, and we provide care that has been authorized by the payor. Health insurance plans only pay for what has been authorized.”
