Texas: Five People Sentenced for Multi-million Healthcare Fraud; Nigerians Among Them

As I have said on many previous occasions, I hope the Trump Administration is gathering their successful fraud-busting cases together to use as examples of what the Trump team is doing for us—finding and punishing those ripping off the US taxpayer!

At every rally he should be giving an update on how much fraud he is uncovering and busting!

The Medicaid fraud, Medicare fraud, Food stamp fraud have been doing great damage to the US Treasury and often there is a ‘new American’ component that makes it even more egregious.

We welcome immigrants and then they rip us off!

Normally we are never told if a convicted criminal is a new American, but this story has a mention at the end.

More news about how we lost $4.5 million (this time!) to Medicaid/Medicare fraud.

From KRGV TV Rio Grand Valley,

5 People Sentenced in Health Care Fraud Case

MISSION – Attorney General Ken Paxton’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit assisted the feds to convict five people in two health care fraud cases.

Five people cheated Medicaid and Medicare out of nearly $4.5 million.

“By billing Medicare and Medicaid for services never provided, these individuals and their companies diverted healthcare dollars from the most vulnerable among us and defrauded taxpayers,” Attorney General Paxton said.

The owner of A&C Medical Supply LLC in Mission pleaded guilty to health care fraud and aggravated identity theft for stealing over $900,000 from Medicaid.

Andres Aly Alvarez was sentenced Thursday to two and a half years in prison.

The unit worked together with the U.S. Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General on the case, which was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in McAllen.

Four people with Garland-based Elder Care Home Health Services were convicted for defrauding Medicaid and Medicare of more than $3.5 million.

This includes owner Loveth Isidaehomen, the director of nursing Tutu Kudiratu Etti, co-owner Celestine Tony Okwilagwe.

All were given a prison sentence of at least five years – Okwilagwe was sentenced to nearly 16 years in prison followed by an immediate deportation to Nigeria.

The four co-conspirators were ordered to pay more than $3.5 million in restitution. [What are the odds that the money is long gone—to Africa!—ed]

Celestine Tony Okwilagwe will spend 16 years in the slammer before being deported to Nigeria.

No time for more details, but you can learn more here and here about these crooks.

By the way, some involved in the fraud were Nigerian Olympic athletes.  And, if you check out those two links you will see that some of the Nigerians were barred from participating in the Medicare/Medicaid programs and figured a way around it (until they were caught by the Trump healthcare fraud busters.)

EDITORS NOTE: This Frauds, Crooks and Criminals column is republished with permission.

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