“Prolonged cocaine abuse most seriously impacts the cognitive domains controlling attention, impulsivity,” a court document filed last month pointed out.

“Cocaine abuse also can impact a person’s assessment of risk and reward.”

Alexandra Gehrke, one half of Scottsdale’s “glam-flam couple” who fraudulently billed insurance companies more than $1 billion, faces two decades in prison when a federal judge rules on her case this week.

Gehrke’s attorney is begging for a reduced sentence, as “Ms. Gehrke has struggled with mental health, disability, and substance abuse issues for her entire life.”

A federal prosecutor counters Gehrke deserves a heavy-handed sentence for running “one of the most financially impactful health care fraud schemes in American history.”

Gehrke is to be sentenced Wed

See Full Page