Questions are being raised on the sudden departure of a local wellness center from the Williamsburg Indoor Sports Complex, and there was an FBI presence at the premises last week.
Federal authorities were in the unit occupied Pamisage Integrative Health, said Chris Haywood, owner of WISC.
“I’m not sure what’s going on, but they’re not here at the moment,” Haywood said about Pamisage.
Haywood said WISC had received notification that the FBI would be in Pamisage’s office Thursday for an investigation. Haywood added he didn’t know what the investigation entailed but told federal authorities would be willing to comply if they needed his assistance.
Christina Pullen, a spokeswoman for the FBI Norfolk field office, declined to confirm if there was an ongoing investigation involving Pamisage.
“As a matter of policy, we cannot confirm or deny the existence of an investigation,” she said.
William Trautman, a patient with Pamisage Integrative Health, received a message Thursday from the company informing him that all appointments had been canceled “due to an office emergency.”
By Monday morning, Pamisage’s office was empty.
Pamisage has leased a space at the WISC since January 2019, Haywood said. The company worked with patients through “integrated behavioral medicine” practices which involves treating people for behavioral and physical conditions, according to Pamisage’s website.
WYDaily attempted to contact Dustin DeVore, an attorney with Kaufman & Canoles and Pamisage’s agent, according to company records, but he declined to comment before abruptly ending the phone call.
The James City County Police Department said they were not contacted by the FBI last week nor did they have any information on Maria Kokolis, the company’s president, according to company records, and a licensed professional counselor with Pamisage.
Virginia Department of Health Professions records shows Kokolis has been a “Licensed Professional Counselor” since December 2013 and is currently active with an expiration date of June 2020.
Trautman said he has been a patient with the company since the fall and started to notice inconsistencies with his insurance bill in December 2019.
After a previous employee messaged Trautman and warned him to check his insurance bill, he realized he had been charged for therapeutic services he had not received. He said he spoke to Antoinette Diamante, the clinical director for Pamisage, about the mistake who said it was “just human error” and would be corrected.
On Dec. 5, Trautman said he would need to speak to Melissa Molina, the billing supervisor for Pamisage.
However, on Monday morning Trautman received an email informing him Diamante and Elizabeth Escalona, supervisee in Social Work, had resigned. The email also suggested patients reach out to their primary care physician or insurance for further specialist or therapist needs.
“We hope you can appreciate the sensitivity of this matter,” the email read. “We want you to know that we are grateful to have been able to be a part of your wellness journey and wish you the best on your continued wellness journey.”
Asked if she’d like to comment on the matter or if there’s anything she’d like people to know, Diamante told WYDaily “I need to speak to my attorney.”
Kokolis, Escalona, and Molina could not be immediately reached for comment or for further information on what happened at the location last week.
In an email earlier Monday, Kokolis, when asked whether the business was moving to a new location, wrote: “Actually, that was incorrect and we are sending out another one! We are all good! Thx.”
WYDaily followed up with an email and left messages on her business phone, but she did not immediately respond.
