HOUSTON (Covering Fort Bend News) – Two nurses, one a Richmond resident, are set to appear in federal court on charges they defrauded Medicare of more than $2.1 million, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan Patrick.
The indictment, returned under seal Oct. 9, was unsealed today upon the arrests of Joseph Nwankwo, 56, of Houston, and Stacey Ajaja, 49, of Richmond. They are expected to make their initial appearance at 2 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy K. Johnson today.
According to the indictment, Nwankwo and Ajaja co-owned Hefty Healthcare Services Inc. From 2014 through 2016, Hefty allegedly billed Medicare for home health services that were never provided and not medically necessary. Nwankwo and Ajaja obtained patient referrals by paying marketers and patients and bribed physicians to authorize medically unnecessary home health services for Hefty patients, according to the charges. The indictment also alleges they created phony medical records to perpetrate the healthcare fraud.
Source: Two Nurses Charged in Health Care Fraud and Illegal Kickback Scheme / Covering Fort Bend