Estill Mitts, 64, the operator of a Skid Row health assessment center pleaded not guilty Monday to taking bribes to recruit homeless people as counterfeit patients for three Southern California hospitals.

He entered his plea in U.S. District Court to conspiracy, money laundering and other charges.

A federal indictment accuses Mitts of delivering homeless people for unnecessary medical procedures to City of Angels Medical Center, Los Angeles Metropolitan Medical Center or Tustin Hospital and Medical Center, for as much as $20,000 a month.

Mitts has been assigned home detention after posting a $25,000 bond. He and his lawyer Dominic Cantalupo refused to comment. Mitts has been ordered to home detention after posting a $25,000 bond. He and his lawyer Dominic Cantalupo declined comment. September 30 has been fixed as a trial date.

Mitts who is the operator of the 7th Street Christian Day Center, allegedly recruited Skid Row tramps, including drug addicts and people with mental illness, to be taken to the hospitals. Millions of dollars in care was then billed to Medi-Cal and Medicare.

All three hospitals promised to cooperate with authorities.