‘LEGO lawyer’ stiffs fancy addiction-rehab center in Edmonds

EDMONDS — David said he had a big job at a big company. He also apparently had some big problems.

He presented himself in October as a candidate for inpatient treatment at a care center in Edmonds that specializes in helping people beat addictions and address trauma, depression and other troubles.

The referral came from a company that operates treatment centers in Southern California, part of a burgeoning industry that some call the “rehab Riviera.”

David hailed from Los Angeles. The Edmonds center received information it believed showed him to be a widely traveled executive and “high-level attorney” for LEGO, the Danish company that manufactures interlocking plastic blocks. He reportedly would be a “private pay” client during his two-month stay. His company, not insurance, would be picking up the $90,000 minimum cost of recovery treatment and services, the center was told.

David was assigned a private apartment at the center, complete with a personal chef, staff and private doctors. He was given access to massages at a local health club and gourmet meals at select area restaurants.

Once installed, David “proceeded to take full advantage of the treatment and benefits that were offered,” deputy prosecutor Bob Hendrix wrote in documents filed Nov. 21 in Snohomsh County Superior Court.

But there were problems. Promised payments said to be coming from overseas accounts never materialized. David presented emails that suggested the money was en route. Phone calls to the number he provided for LEGO went to voice mail and were followed up by texts from somebody who claimed to be an accountant who apologized for being too busy to answer.

As the balance of the treatment bill grew, so did the center’s apprehension. The director went online and Googled David’s name.

He found a web page warning people to stay clear, Hendrix wrote.

While the David profiled on the web page spelled his last name a little differently, the date of birth and photographs matched.

David Adam Wolin, 49, was described as a convicted fraudster who had twice served time in New York prisons.

The web page was put together by people who claimed to have fallen victim to his tales. “Beware!!! David Wolin is a scam artist!” they warned on the site and in social media.

The center called Edmonds police.

Detective Steve Morrison investigated. He ultimately determined that Wolin was, indeed, the non-paying patient.

He found arrests for the man in Washington, Illinois, South Dakota, New Jersey, New York and Nevada. His criminal history includes eight felony convictions for theft, forgery and grand larceny, from 1998 through 2014.

The records also confirmed Wolin’s prior incarcerations in New York, court papers show.

The detective was present when the care center discharged Wolin and confronted him about the criminal profiled online.

“Wolin said that he knew of the web page, but denied that the person depicted on it was him,” Morrison wrote in a police report that Hendrix filed in court along with a first-degree theft charge.

When told that police were involved, Wolin suggested that his medical privacy had been compromised.

The detective asked how the center could protect his information as a patient when they didn’t know who he was.

“Wolin didn’t respond back,” he wrote.

The care center calculated Wolin ran up about a $36,000 bill plus $2,000 for the personal chef.

Wolin continued to insist he worked for LEGO, but said his proof had been lost when his luggage was misplaced by an airline.

Morrison spoke with the human resource manager for LEGO at its North American headquarters in Connecticut.

She said that Wolin is neither an employee of the company nor one of its attorneys, Hendrix wrote. Moreover, the company would never authorize an employee to run up such expenses, she added.

Wolin has pleaded not guilty. His trial is now scheduled for January. On Tuesday, he remained locked up at the Snohomish County Jail in Everett, his bail set at $10,000.

Scott North: 425-339-3431; north@herald net.com. Twitter: @snorthnews.