The former CEO of the Oxford Center, who is charged in the fatal hyperbaric chamber explosion case, has now been charged with health care fraud, according to the Michigan Attorney General's office.

Tamela Peterson was arraigned on Tuesday, Jan. 20, with nine counts of health fraud - false claim. She was granted a $10,000 personal recognizance bond and is due back in court on Jan. 27. Each charge carries up to four years in prison and/or a $50,000 fine.

State prosecutors allege that Peterson had knowledge of and was the direct beneficiary of fraudulent health care claims. An investigation into the alleged fraud began in September 2022.

"Filing false claims impacts not only patients and providers, but also contributes to increased costs of healthcare and medical insurance for everybody," Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement. "Health care fraud undermines the trust between patients and providers and patients' notions of confidentiality and care. My office will continue to hold accountable those who take advantage of their practice for their own financial benefit."  

Peterson is facing a second-degree murder charge in connection with the January 2025 explosion that killed 5-year-old Thomas Cooper. Two other people, Jeff Mosteller and Gary Marken, were charged with second-degree murder, and a fourth person, Aleta Moffitt, was charged with involuntary manslaughter.

Prosecutors allege that the center failed to ensure the child's safety by not performing a maintenance check before the child went into the chamber for treatment. Nessel, who charged the four people in March 2025, alleges that no medical doctor or safety supervisor was present, and treatment was not performed by a licensed technician.

Nessel's office also alleges that a safety ground strap was not used on the child. That grounding strap has been at the forefront of the preliminary examination.