A dozen Fort Bend County residents are
among more than 30 accused of multimillion-dollar medicare fraud
according to federal indictments unsealed today.
The result of an investigation by a joint federal-state Medicare
Fraud Strike Force, the indictments accuse a total of 32 people of
various frauds against the government medical program amounting to more
than $16 million.
Most of those named in the indictments are accused of schemes
involving fraudulently extracted Medicare payments for power
wheelchairs, “arthritis kits,” and internal feeding supplies, the DOJ
said in a statement.
A DOJ spokeswoman said that as of noon, all or nearly all of those
named in the indictments had been arrested, most in the Houston area
but some in New York and New Orleans.
“Our Medicare Strike Force is striking back against health care
fraud in all its forms and wherever it occurs. We will stop fraud as
its happening, using real-time data analysis of Medicare billing
records,” said Texas Deputy Attorney General David Ogden. “Those who
commit health care fraud will not be allowed to steal money from
American taxpayers.”
The schemes involved medical-related businesses in Sugar Land, Richmond, Humble and Houston.
According to unsealed indictments, Fort Bend County residents
accused and arrested in the fraud investigation, and the business
entities in which they were involved, include:
Onward Group Healthcare Inc. at 106 Bayview Drive, Suite A,
Sugar Land. The company provided power wheelchairs and other medical
equipment to Medicare beneficiaries.
→ Doris Ngozi Vinitski, 45, identified as owner and operator of
Onward Group, who maintained a Medicare group provider number for the
company “in order to submit Medicare claims for durable medical
equipment that was midically unnecessary and not provided.”
→ Howard Grant, 59, a physician “who signed prescriptions ordering
medically unnecessary DME (durable medical equipment) that served as
the basis of certain of Onward’s claims to Medicare.”
→ Michael Kalu Obasi, 34, “who referred beneficiaries to Onward so
that claims for medically unnecessary DME could be filed with Medicare.”
→ Yolanda Stella Delrio, 59, “who assisted in the day-to-day
operations of Onward, including the submission of claims for medically
unnecessary DME to Medicare.”
→ Ju-Ying Qian, 60, “who referred beneficiaries to Onward so that
claims for medically unnecessary DME could be filed with Medicare.”
→ Oliver Nkuku, who is accused of delivering “medically unnecessary
DME to Medicare beneficiaries for Onward, including power wheelchairs
and orthotics.”
According to one of the indictments, Vinitski and other defendants
submitted more than $2.2 million in fraudulent Medicare claims.
KO Medical Inc., of 301 S. 9th St., Suite 108, Richmond.
According to the indictments, the company provided power wheelchairs
and other medical equipment to Medicare beneficiaries.
→ Oliver Nkuku, 44, an owner and operator of KO Medical accused of
submitting about $931,000 in false Medicare claims for power
wheelchairs, wheelchair accessories and motorized scooters. Separately,
he also was indicted for allegedly conspiring to submit about $2.2
million in false Medicare claims between October 2003 and March 2009.
→ Kate Nkuku, 45, also identified as a KO Medical owner/operator,
and also accused of submitting $931,000 of false Medicare claims. One
indictment accuses her of improperly using “various billing code
modifiers in connection with KO’s submission of claims that allowed her
to conceal the fact that KO was providing DME without a proper
prescription from a licensed physician…”
→ Obisike Okereke, 35, who “delivered medically unnecessary DME for KO.”
Sefan health Care Services Inc., at 9894 Bissonnet, Suite
770, in Houston. The company provided “othotics and other DME to
Medicare beneficiaries,” according to one of the indictments unsealed
Wednesday.
→ - Kate Ose Olear, 42, identified in an indictment as Sefan’s
owner, director and manager, is accused of submitting about $2.75
million in false claims to Medicare on behalf of beneficiaries that
included “several who were deceased on the alleged day of service.”
Luant & Odera Inc., operating under the assumed name
Tonni Medical Equipment and Supplies, “purportedly doing business at
9720 Beechnut Street, Suite 125 in Houston, and at other addresses in
Houston and Spring, according to one indictment.
→ Ezechukwu J. Ohaka, 40, identified as one of the company’s owners,
is accused of submitting about $3.9 million in false Medicare claims
between March 2007 and March 2009, including claims “for power
wheelchairs and wheelchair accessories for beneficiaries who did not
need them.” One of the indictments unsealed Wednesday says Ohaka also
“paid kickbacks to co-conspirators as payment for Medicare beneficiary
billing information.”
→ Helen Ehi Etinfoh, 49, also identified as a Luant owner/operator,
is also accused in the filing of the $3.9 million in fraudulent claims,
and of paying kickbacks.
Family Healthcare Group Inc. (Family Healthcare),
“purportedly doing business” at 8313 Southwest Freeway, Suite 109,
Houston. The company, according to an indictment, “purported to provide
orthotics and other DME to Medicare beneficiaries.”
→ Mary Ellis, 53, a licensed vocational nurse, is accused of
conspiring to submit more than $1.1 million in false Medicare claims
from October 2007 to March 2009 for equipment including “arthritis
kits.” She “allegedly referred beneficiaries to Family Healthcare so
that claims could be filed with Medicare the beneficiaries did not
need, use, or in some instances, even receive,” an indictment states.
It also alleges the woman received a “kickback by the owners of Family
Healthcare for each Medicare benficiary she referred.”
The cases are being prosecuted by attorneys from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“Americans deserve quality healthcare and have the right to expect
that money expended on Medicare is not wasted,” said U.S. Attorney Tim
Johnson. “We will prosecute anyone who fraudulently obtains Medicare
benefits at the expense of the truly needy.”
The DOJ-Health & Human Services Medicare Strike Force is a
multi-agency team of federal, state and local investigators “designed
to combat Medicare fraud through the muse of Medicare data analysis
techniques and an increased focus on community policing,” according to
information from the Justice Department.
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