The United States government has declared a Nigerian man, Ezechukwu Joshua Ohaka, wanted over an alleged Medicare fraud scheme targeted at hurricane victims and generated over $1 million in illicit proceeds by posing as a doctor.
In a statement by the Department of Health and Human Services, the prosecutors alleged that Mr Ohaka through his company, Luant & Odera, Inc., Ohaka and others, submitted fraudulent Medicare claims for durable medical equipment (DME) to the tune of $3.1 million.
The equipment for which the 57-year-old and his co-conspirators filed claims, despite being deemed medically unnecessary, included power wheelchairs, motorised scooters and wheelchair accessories that were either medically unnecessary or never provided.
He successfully recuperated $1.08 million from the government, according to the statement.
“Ezechukwu Ohaka, along with co-conspirators, allegedly submitted more than $3.1 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare for durable medical equipment (DME), according to a Federal indictment. The “gross proceeds of the fraud” allegedly totaled approximately $1.08 million, the statement noted.
“Through his Houston-based company, Luant & Odera, Inc., Ohaka and others allegedly billed for medically unnecessary power wheelchairs, motorized scooters, and wheelchair accessories that were either not medically necessary or were not provided,” the health department said.
Authorities also discovered during investigation that Mr Ohaka, described as “originally from Nigeria,” by the U.S. government, provided beneficiaries with inferior quality and cheaper wheelchairs compared to the expensive versions he filed claims for with the government.
The beneficiaries who received the scooters and wheelchairs had either not consulted a doctor, lacked the prescriptions required by Medicare, or failed to meet Medicare’s medical necessity criteria.
Many of them were individuals living in the paths of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita before being targeted and recruited by Mr Ohaka and his co-conspirators to file for false Medicare claims for DME, with some receiving kickbacks from the scheme in some cases.
“Falsely referring to himself as a doctor (“Dr. Joshua Ohaka”), Ohaka and co-conspirators targeted Medicare beneficiaries who were living in the paths of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita,” the health department added.
Meanwhile, Mr Ohaka was not the only Nigerian on the radar of the U.S. government as 57-year-old Tayo Muyiwa Olukoya, also known as Uncle, is also wanted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The details released by the DEA accused Mr Olukoya of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute controlled substances and wanted in the Indiana Southern District.
He is described as a Black male with brown eyes, standing 177 centimetres tall and weighing 99 kilogrammes.