Scandal-Ridden Brius to Pay up to $6.9 Million for Illegal Kickback Scheme. November 16, 2017, The U.S. Department of Justice announced that four Brius-owned nursing homes in the San Diego area will pay up to $6.9 million dollars to resolve a whistleblower lawsuit involving illegal kickbacks for patient referrals and false claims to government health care programs. Brius is a nursing home chain owned by Shlomo Rechnitz.