Staff at the city detoxification clinic, on the former D.C. General Hospital campus, are used to dealing with some pretty suspect characters, so it was little surprise that police would show up there to make an arrest. What was a surprise is who they arrested on July 9: the clinic’s manager, Larry W. Ricks.

Witnesses report that Ricks was led out of the clinic in handcuffs that day.

According to court documents filed the day after the arrest, Ricks is accused of essentially double-billing the District government—-getting paid by a contractor for the Child and Family Services Agency for mentoring kids during the same hours he was listing on his Department of Health timesheet. He is accused by authorities of doing this on no less than 116 occasions from October 2006 to February 2008.

Ricks allegedly billed the contractor, Culbreth & Culbreth, for $4,170 while he was supposed to be doing his day job, according to an investigator’s affidavit. He was paid $12,739.71 in District wages for his clinic job during those hours.

This is not the first time the detox clinic has seen someone accused of double-dipping. In September 2007, the clinic’s medical director, Charles Hall, was arrested for working at the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency while on clinic time. Hall and his lawyer, Fred Cooke, are currently litigating the case in Superior Court.

A Petworth resident, Ricks has worked for the District since 1990. He earned at least $74,888 a year.

According to a city spokesperson, Ricks has been placed on administrative leave for the time being. His attorney, a public defender, refused to comment; phone calls to Ricks’ home weren’t answered, and LL was unable to leave a message.

The case was investigated by the city inspector general after receiving an anonymous tip. The District attorney general’s office is prosecuting the matter. A court date has been scheduled for Sept. 28.