Acadia Healthcare’s chief executive was awarded a $1.8 million bonus to respond to “unprecedented governmental inquiries” into allegations of holding psychiatric patients against their will.

Last year was tough for Acadia Healthcare, one of the country’s largest providers of mental health services.

A slew of federal agencies opened investigations into whether Acadia illegally held patients against their will in its psychiatric hospitals, as described in a New York Times investigation in September. The federal inquiries rattled investors, causing Acadia’s stock to plummet.

But Acadia’s troubles have been a boon to the company’s chief executive, Christopher Hunter. Its board of directors awarded him a $1.8 million bonus to help respond to “unprecedented governmental inquiries,” according to a financial filing this month. The bonus comes on top of his regular compensation, which totaled more than $7 million in 2024.

Acadia’s chief financial officer and general counsel were also granted bonuses of about $1 million, and the chief operating officer was promised $600,000. Acadia said the bonuses, which will be paid in March of next year, were awarded to ensure that the leaders did not leave before the investigations were completed.

The company’s board decided that keeping its leadership team was “in the best long-term interest of the company and the patients and communities it serves,” said Tim Blair, a spokesman for Acadia. “The company follows a pay-for-performance philosophy, using peer market data for benchmarking and calibration,” he added.

The Times reported that Acadia was holding patients against their will in order to maximize insurance payouts. Some patients arrived at emergency rooms seeking routine mental health care but were sent to Acadia facilities, where they were locked inside and isolated from their families. The practices began before Mr. Hunter became chief executive, in April 2022, but continued under his watch, The Times found.