AceShowbiz - Lindsay Lohan's father has been arrested amid allegations suggesting he profited from steering addicts to rehabilitation centres in Florida.

Michael Lohan was taken into custody on Friday (23Apr21) and booked on five counts of patient brokering, as well as one charge of attempted patient brokering.

According to court papers, he received cheques worth over $25,000 (£18,000) for referring people to the Pride Recovery Center in Delray Beach in 2017 and 2018 as part of an illegal kickback scheme.

One woman he is accused of directing to the rehab facility, only identified by the initials "B.M." in the legal documents, was said to have been in a "sexual relationship" with Lohan, who allegedly pocketed $5,000 (£3,600) from that particular case.

Lohan is one of more than 100 people already busted as part of authorities' larger probe into "patient brokering," according to Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg.

"Mr. Lohan was investigated by our Sober Homes Task Force and he's being charged with receiving kickbacks for referring patients to drug treatment," Aronberg said in a statement. "Patient brokering corrupts our health care system because decisions are motivated by greed instead of a patient's needs."

"This is our Task Force's 117th arrest and will not be our last," he added.

Lohan was identified as a participant in the scheme, through his company, Lola Recovery Ventures, by a Pride Recovery Center owner, who was seeking leniency in exchange for co-operating with authorities.

His lawyer, Heidi Perlet, has yet to comment on the charges.