Feds investigate owner of shuttered Boardman Family Practice
Aug. 5—SOUTH BOARDMAN — The owner of a closed medical practice is the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation, court filings show, after a federal judge signed an order pausing a related civil forfeiture case involving vehicles and bank funds seized by U.S. marshals last year.
"This civil forfeiture action, including the time for claimants Todd Kreykes and Katherine Kreykes to file an answer to the complaint, is stayed until the related criminal investigation regarding Todd Kreykes is resolved," the order, signed July 12 by U.S. District Court Judge Robert J. Jonker, states.
"The parties shall advise the Court once the criminal investigation is resolved and whether the stay in this case should be lifted," the order states.
The order is in response to a joint motion filed by U.S. attorneys for the Western District of Michigan and by Detroit-area attorney Mark J. Kriger, who represents Kreykes.
Kathy Schuette, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office, declined comment on what prompted the criminal investigation and Kriger did not return a call seeking comment Tuesday.
But court filings show federal prosecutors and claimants like Kreykes each have standing to stay, or pause, a civil action as a related criminal investigation proceeds.
Federal law states prosecutors are entitled to a stay in a civil case when civil discovery will adversely affect the ability of the government to conduct a criminal investigation or reveal trial strategy; a claimant is entitled to a stay when continuation of a forfeiture proceeding runs counter to their Constitutional right against self-incrimination.
Kreykes, who owned Boardman Family Practice, was in April named in the federal forfeiture complaint, which asserted federal funds his medical office received to help combat the coronavirus pandemic were used to pay for vehicles, home remodeling projects, vacations and gifts.
Boardman Family Practice received $169,845.59 in CARES Act funding in four electronic deposits made to the practice's business checking account in April and May of last year, court filings show.
U.S. marshals on Dec. 2, 2021, seized a 2013 Ford Super Duty pickup and a 2017 Harley Davidson motorcycle belonging to Kreykes, a 2015 Ford SUV owned by Kreykes' spouse and $8,647.41 from a business checking account, court records show.
Staff with Boardman Family Practice provided general healthcare services to as many as 3,000 patients in South Boardman, Fife Lake, Kingsley and Kalkaska until the office abruptly closed after a spokesperson for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency confirmed agents conducted a search of the facility with assistance from regional law enforcement.
Amanda Wozniak, a DEA spokesperson, on Monday declined to comment.
The April forfeiture complaint in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan was filed "in rem," meaning the defendant was the seized property, rather than the property's owner. This initial action was a civil — not criminal — forfeiture, U.S. Justice Department information shows.
Kreykes and his spouse each filed claims to the property and an Aug. 10 scheduling conference was adjourned without a new date, pending the outcome of the criminal investigation, court filings show.
Kreykes in 2020 was disciplined by a state licensing agency, following an examination by officials of his patients' medical records.
State licensure records show Kreykes was placed on disciplinary probation in late 2020 after a Bureau of Professional Licensing investigation found Kreykes incorrectly prescribed controlled substances, including opioids.
A state disciplinary subcommittee filed the initial complaint against Kreykes in 2020, then levied sanctions — a $1,000 fine and a year of probation — more than nine months later on Dec. 7, 2020.
Records show Kreykes physician's assistant license is active, and expires in October.
The Pine Street building that once housed Boardman Family Practice is listed for sale.
