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"action news," delaware valley's leading news program with jim gardner. ♪ >> what could be worse than the opioid crisis that sees

skyrocketing numbers of philadelphiaens hooked on heroin, fentanyl and other agents that will kill you? what could be worse? how about another layer of tragedy where people are paid to get high so junky hunters scam insurance companies? it's insidious, deadly and happening in philadelphia. tuesday night the big story on "action news" is a special "action news" investigation. call it junky hunting or patient brokering. critics call it exploitation of drug users and the insurance industry. chad pradelli sat down with a young man that says he's a junky hunter. >> many users have been on both sides of the illegal fraud. we learn industry insiders say brokering is a growing problem

in our area. >> i would say you can get involved in it. it's a gold mine for you. it is. >> they are called body brokers, junky hunter, patient pimps. one paid him $2,500 to go to rehab. >> detox was $500. if you have clean urine you get offered a detox pack to get you high and bring to the facility so you have dirty urine and can be accepted. >> he received $2,000. >> there are people that make over $150,000, $200,000 a year sending people to rehab. >> it's seeping into our area, patient brokering. it's having consequences for the community. >> erica mortimer runs the center for healing in new

jersey, an out patient facility. insurance companies paying 30 to $40,000 a month to send addicts to rehab. >> the impacten i impact is on e trying to stay sober. they won't stay sober that way. >> here's how the racket works, outreach groups hire marketers to find addicts. money is dispersed down the chain and cash is in the hands of the addict. >> the fremont centers themselves don't even know what is going on. >> 50 to 75% of people i came across were paid to go to treatment or getting paid to send people to treatment. >> federal authorities have been cracking down on patient brokering, but with an epidemic under way, keeping up is difficult. >> i have met people in other

states where they have been in treatment consistently for 15 months straight. they'll be in a 30 day facility, use a substance with money paid for treatment and jump back into a facility and live off that however long they can. >> florida is one state that stiffened its laws after insurance companies stopped offering coverage because of treatment fraud. >> how do you stop this? >> they take advantage of the insurance company, if that you are a parent, young woman or man, you can stay on that insurance until you are 26. they need addicts to come forward. that's not happening. >> a major dug bust has kept heroin and fentanyl off the street.

valued at $2.6 million, the stash was seized on a row home in feltonville. 24-year-old sazar guzman and sanchez rose arres rosario are d on bail. visit 6abc.com for the personal stories of people that battle their addiction and won and former addicts who are now helping others. >> we have breaking news from chopper 6 as firefighters battle a stubborn blaze in darby borough. fire broke out and kept going until a second alarm was called. one car has been burned out in the alley with flames

fliggerring inside. no one was hurt. authorities have not said how the fire started. >> a person of interest is being questioned in the death of a 68-year-old woman. she was found dead late this afternoon on the 7100 block of lawndale in philadelphia. sources tell "action news" the victim may have been hit over the head. police are not naming the vehicle or person of interest but say he is an acquaintance of hers. philadelphia police are investigating a double shooting iniain olney. they were discovered on furrily street shot shortly before. both victims are in critical condition. the superbowl parade and party is over but video of fans behaving badly lives on. philadelphia police are releasing a cache of videos

asking for your help to name the hooligans. police vow to track down and prosecutor those responsible for vandalism and theft. we may not see as much of the sun tomorrow but the mercury is going to go up well above normal. let's get a first hand look at the valentine's day forecast from meteorologist cecily tynan. >> hi, jim. double scan live showing showers working through western pennsylvania, typically not a big deal, talking about a few showers overnight. the problem is, with the patchy drizzle, temperatures drop near freezing. there could be slick spots tomorrow morning, especially areas to the north. good idea to go outside, do the

windshield test. see if there is ice on the windshield. if there is, bridges could be icy. once we get past then, valentine's day looking sweet. a mix of clouds and shine, 35-degrees at 7:00. in the afternoon, a possibility of late showers, temperatures running 10 to 20-degrees above average into fridayple i'm tracking a threat of showers valentine's night. there is a good chance on saturday, a better chance now of rain and snow. i talk about that in the accuweather seven-day forecast. jim? >> cecily, family, friends and fellow officers paid tribute to police officer john pawloski in olney. he died nine years ago after he was shot trying to settle an argument between a taxi driver and the shooter.

officer pawloski's colleagues say his act will never be forgotten. >> police need help finding a serial bank robber. police believe he's the same man that held up the wells fargo last thursday wearing a flyer's jacket. he's tall, possibly 6' 3. if you have information, you are urged to contact police or the fbi. >> retail and service industry employees grabbed signs, flags and banners and marched around city hall today. they are demanding their work schedules be regulated and hours more consistent week to week. the love statue is back home tonight secure on its pedestal in soon to be reopened love park. the sculpture took a tour around the city of philadelphia on the

way back home today. the love statue has been out of commission for a year, being restored, repainted and returned to the artists original colors of red, green and purple. said one philadelphiaen, this is what we are known for. it's wonderful to have the love back. >> so, how do you chase 30,000 crows from downtown trenton, new jersey? that may sound like the first line of a joke, but this is not funny. it's a serious probabl problem e effort to decrow phi the city began today. christie ileto has the story. >> so far it seems to be working. the grows here moved out. the goal now is to figure out where they have gone and continue to harass them into smaller groups. >> pyrotechnics and spotlights

and lasers are some of the tools used to scarecrows from downtown. the crows have become a nuisance over the last couple of years. >> you see them on every tree on the street. >> the fact that i have to get my car washed three times in a row, the car washmen know me. >> police confirm the crows have caused property damage and hit the city's pockets hard with clean up and the droppings are a health hazard. >> it doesn't seem healthy to drive around in bird poop. >> it may take more than two weeks to get them to go permanently, but i'm happy they are doing something. >> crews will be out here all

week trying to get the birds to disperse. in trenton, christie ileto, channel6 "action news." >> still to come, the nation's top intelligence officials testify that america is under attack as we speak. >> plus, deadly danger on one of america's tallest mountain tops and the late night effort to rescue stranded climbers. and the effort to stop an suv speeding at 100 miles per hour with a stuck gas pedal. >> the high today 43-degrees, the average high for this date. we have a taste of spring on the way for the next couple of days. winter makes a comeback, much colder. there is a chance of rain and snow. i explain in the forecast. >> ducis rodgers with tough news for the flyer's man between the pipes plus in health check how dragging out your dinner can

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>> we have a developing story as a group of mountain climbers has been rescued 10,000 feet up on the highest peak in oregon. an army helicopter pulled one of

the climbing companions from the summit earlier today. that man died this evening at the hospital. it's believing the sunny warm day turned the show soft turning the climbing treacherous. the man that set off small bombs in new york city and a charity race in new jersey was sentenced today. he injured 20 people in 2016. the blast happened hours after a small pipe bomb exploded near the course for a road race in seaside park. it ended with a shootout in linden, new jersey. >> president trump may resist acknowledging that the russians meddled in the 2016 election but top officials have a different

point of view. >> frankly, the united states is under attack. >> dan coats is the director of national inte intelligence. he said the russians are already trying to interfere in the 2018 midterm elections. this is real. it will happen and the resilience for us to stand up to say we are not going to allow some russian to tell us how to vote. >> mike pompeo told the committee they have seen russian attempts to influence the next election cycle >> rob porter has been accused by two former wives of physically abusing them. the white house claimed investigation was ongoing and

officials learned about the extent of accusations last week. fbi director chris ray told lawmakers today that the fbi made four reports to the white house on porter the first one last month. >> a accusations against benjamn netanyahu. he went on television denying the allegations insisting his career has been solely for the good of the nation. >> police in florida released this video in an effort to stop a run away vehicle. the bmw drivers the gas pedal was stuck and he couldn't stop the suv. it nearly hit 100 miles per hour. officers used stop sticks to

stop the car that began swerving and came to a stop. >> health check at 11:00, slow and steady wins the race when it comes to eating. six years of data on 69,000 overweight adults in japan, researchers found those that consider themselves fast eaters have faster bmi's. the body takes 20 minutes to recognize the stomach is full. fast eaters continue without realizing they recollecte they . other factors are eating within two hours of going to sleep. >> your body will tell you when enough is enough. >> think about that when you open your valentine's chocolates tomorrow.

don't dive right in. oh, it's one day. dive in. we have warmth on the way, a return to winter over the weekend. a gree great looking shot of the skyline. looking at the bronk at the ben, warm air is arriving in time for valentine's day. a reminder, get the balloons, chocolates, flowers. there is still time. tomorrow evening, weather is looking nice, 4:00, 52-degrees, mix of cloud and sunshine. it will cloud up, but temperatures not going anywhere, only dropping down to the upper 40s by midnight. tomorrow night, no threat of freezing rain. different story tonight, 28-degree in the poconos, 33 in

allentown, philadelphia, 35-degrees. there is a bit of precipitation moving in. best chance of lehigh valley and the poconos. it's not much but future tracker showing 3:00 in the morning, could be a touch of freezing drizzle. be careful tomorrow morning if you live around the allentown region. during the day, a mix of clouds and sunshine. mild, 52 in philadelphia, normal high, 44. well above normal, allentown 50. cape may 48 and wilmington, 51-degrees. all eyes on the weekend, saturday evening, saturday night, two pieces of energy. they'll phase to the west and bring in moisture in the form of rain or snow depending on your location. future tracker showing friday night moisture gathering across the plains. the key is track.

where will the line set up? as we get closer, the line is changing. a cold frond friday morning. we hit 60 in the morning. cold air sets us you will for chance of late day snow and rain continuing into the wee hours of the morning sunday. 57 tutees, 66. could hit 70 by wednesday, but all eyes saturday, david murphy has new information. >> thank you, cecily.

the largest ship to dock at philadelphia was headed out of town as the msc left port, 1100 feet long, it's the first such large container vessel to use the terminal since construction vessels began to accommodate a ship of that size. >> an interactive discussion tonight about women's heart health in vor heez. they were joined by women across the area as well as ali gorman that hosted the event. the group talked about how diet and exercise

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>> trouble for the flyers. >> they can't go without some type of news. >> top goalie is out and might not be back until the top two weeks of the season. >> he's cable. he's played good games for us this year, others that haven't

been that great, but if gets on a roll with consistency, we'll be fine. there he is tonight. second straight move. 4-3 flyers continue to play. devils with the attacker. we are tied. we eventually go to a shotout. >> stafford meets noy vert. the flyers win streak is snapped. they lose 5-4. >> it's something we have to work on. we'll be better next time. >> still ahead on sports, baseball is almost back. we head to clear water for a repor

>> get ready to hear words play ball. philly spring training opens in the morning. this year a new manager and new hope. jeff skversky has more from clear water. >> manager gabe capler believes the phillies will be fighting for the east come september. how about that bold statement

before the philly's first spring workout. >> there is a buzz down here. pitchers and catchers are not due for the official workout until tomorrow. >> eagles went from worst to first, nobody believed, why not the eagles too? >> he was inspired by the eagle season. >> we would be foolish not to take from what the phillies accomplished, not just the last couple of weeks, but since coach pederson said this is what the world thinks. this is who we think you are. we think you are special. >> he watched the win against the patriots down here. he loved the way the birds played and wants to phillies to play just as bold. >> jeff skversky, "action news." >> lasalle hosting