TEXAS
Six people, including two Dallas-area doctors, were charged last week in connection with a $13.4 million health fraud scheme involving false billing to Medicare, according to officials
Dr. Kelly Robinett, 66, of Denton County, Texas; Dr. Angel Claudio, 60, of Hood County, Texas; Patience Okoroji, 57, of Dallas County, Texas; Usani Ewah, 58, of Dallas County ; Kingsley Nwanguma, 45, of Dallas County; and Joy Ogwuegbu, 39, of Collin County, Texas, were each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, official said.
The indictment alleges that from approximately January 2007 to September 2015, the defendants conspired to defraud Medicare by submitting fraudulent claims to Medicare.
According to the allegations, Robinett and Claudio falsely certified beneficiaries for home health care when the patients were not under their care and did not qualify for home health services.
The indictment also alleges that in some cases, Okoroji and Ewah would pay recruiters, including Nwanguma, to recruit people for home health services, regardless of whether they needed home health care.
The defendants were also each charged with health care fraud: Robinett and Nwanguma with three counts each, Claudio with two counts, Okoroji and Ewah with five counts each and Ogwuegbu with four counts. Okoroji, Ewah, Nwanguma and Ogwuegbu were previously charged in the original indictment.
Robinett, a doctor of osteopathic medicine, is the owner of Boomer Housecalls, based in Frisco, Texas. Claudio, a medical doctor, is an employee of Dallas-based Texas Medical Housecalls.
Okoroji and Ewah co-owned Timely Home Health Services Inc., where Okoroji was an administrator and licensed vocational nurse and Ewah was the director of nursing and a registered nurse. Nwanguma was a licensed vocational nurse working for Timely and Ogwuegbu was the former director of nursing for Timely.
The defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.