PHOENIX — A man the Arizona Attorney General says used a fake diploma and portrayed himself as a licensed psychologist is facing more criminal charges.
A Maricopa County grand jury indicted Scott Keeling this week on five felony charges, including conspiracy, fraudulent schemes, theft and illegal control of an enterprise.
The indictment alleges Keeling and two unnamed co-conspirators were involved in an illegal scheme to defraud money from the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (ACCCHS), the state’s Medicaid system.
The alleged crimes occurred between January and August of last year when Keeling worked at a substance abuse treatment center in Phoenix called Therapy Trust Behavioral Health. That business abruptly shut down in August and employees lost their jobs.
Keeling is in a Maricopa County jail being held on $500,000 bond. His attorney did not immediately respond to a call or an email from ABC15. He pleaded not guilty to the charges in Maricopa County Superior Court Tuesday.
As ABC15 was the first to report earlier this year, Keeling’s former employees said they thought he was a licensed psychologist. He drove a car with a vanity license plate that said, “Dr. Pysch.” His business cards said he was a doctor and a psychologist with a Ph.D.
“We never got the truth from him,” said Mariah Benally-Camarena, a former employee.
The Arizona Attorney General’s Office launched an investigation into Keeling last year, culminating in his arrest.
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Keeling was sentenced in March to 90 days in jail and four years probation after he pleaded guilty to fraudulent schemes and possession of drug paraphernalia, both felonies. In exchange, the state agreed to drop forgery and perjury charges.
All this came to light because of a child custody case, where Keeling submitted what prosecutors allege was a sworn, false affidavit in court proceedings in late 2021. He was identified as “Dr. Scott Keeling-Torrez” in the affidavit and used the title “psychologist, PhD.”
The Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners launched an investigation last year after receiving a complaint that Keeling was not licensed. The board reviewed the complaint in a public meeting last year.
Keeling and his attorney, Michael Tamou, told the board that he was nothing more than a behavior coach and mentor to two boys in the child custody case. They said the affidavit was prepared by the boy’s grandmother and guardian, and Keeling’s involvement was limited to signing the document.
In court documents, they maintain that signing the affidavit was “a mistake” and that Keeling did not intend to misrepresent his qualifications or deceive anyone. But state regulators say he crossed the line.
The board issued Keeling a cease-and-desist order in September, telling him to stop portraying himself as a psychologist.
“I think this individual is unregulatable. And we, as the psychology board, have an obligation to protect the public,” said board member Aditya Dynar at the time.
Since Keeling’s indictment in May, the names of the two other co-defendants in the criminal case have been released, Elio Geagea and John Luther Blaylock Jr. both of Phoenix, according to court records. They are all facing multiple felony charges, including conspiracy, fraudulent schemes, theft and illegal control of an enterprise. They have all pleaded not guilty to the charges.
They are accused of an alleged scheme to defraud the state’s Medicaid system.
Geagea and Blaylock are out of custody while awaiting trial. Keeling is being held in a Maricopa County jail on a $500,000 bond.
Assistant Attorney General Zachary Jones said in an August court hearing that Keeling has filed a motion to change his release conditions, and the state will respond in writing to that motion.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Daniel Martin said he will rule on the motion after he receives the state’s response.
A trial has been set for November 12.
Email ABC15 Investigator Anne Ryman at: anne.ryman@abc15.com, call her at 602-685-6345, or connect on X, formerly known as Twitter, and Facebook.
