US Jury Convicts Nigerian, Enyinnaya Udo For Tax Fraud

A Washington,D.C. based Nigerian tax expert and principal partner of Anic and Associates, Enyinnaya Udo was today convicted of tax fraud by a federal jury in the District of Columbia, United states.

His conviction followed a jury trial that began on August 1, 2012,in which a federal jury convicted him on all 25 counts of an indictment charging him with aiding and assisting in the preparation of false individual income tax returns.

According to the indictment and evidence presented at trial, Udo operated a tax preparation business called Anic and Associates, located in Washington, D.C. He was further accused of preparing false 2005 through 2008 individual income tax returns for seven taxpayers, falsely reporting that the taxpayers had unreimbursed employee expenses.

U.S. District Judge Barbara J. Rothstein has already scheduled sentencing Udo for November 1, 2012. Udo faces a potential maximum sentence of three years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 on each of the 25 counts against him.

Udo’s Anic & Associates operates from 6400 Georgia Avenue Nw, Washington, DC and was established in 2001 and incorporated in District of Columbia as a private company categorized under tax return preparation and filing.

http://ireports-ng.com/2012/08/06/us-jury-convicts-nigerian-enyinnaya-udo-for-tax-fraud/

US jury convicts Nigerian father, daughter in $1.5m health care fraud

The Nigerian owners of a Houston area durable medical equipment company have been convicted by a jury of multiple counts of health care fraud arising from their roles in a scheme to defraud Medicaid through fraudulent billing for adult urinary incontinence supplies.


The announcement Thursday by United States Attorney José Angel Moreno and Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said Bassey Essien, 60, and his daughter, Rose Essien, 31, of Houston, were found guilty on April 7, 2011, after an eight-day trial of multiple felony counts.

Bassey Essien was convicted of all 19 counts alleged in the indictment against him—including conspiracy, health care fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Rose Essien was convicted of 15 of the 19 counts including 11 counts of health care fraud and five counts of aggravated identity theft. A third defendant, the Essien’s delivery driver, was acquitted on all counts.

Through the operation of Logic World Medical and Roben Medical, both durable medical equipment (DME) companies located in Houston, the Essiens unlawfully received Medicaid beneficiaries’ information, including names, addresses, and Medicaid numbers, which they then use to file false claims with the Medicaid program.

The evidence showed that the Essiens routinely billed Medicaid for adult urinary incontinence supplies they did not deliver to the Medicaid beneficiaries or for delivering supplies in amounts significantly less than the amounts billed to Medicaid. Additionally, the Essiens routinely billed Medicaid for adult urinary incontinence supplies provided to Medicaid beneficiaries who either did not need the supplies or whose physicians had not prescribed them. Adult incontinence supplies include adult diapers, underpads, wipes and pull-up briefs.

Through their DME company, the defendants continued to bill Medicaid for incontinence supplies even after their delivery staff and/or delivery contractors were told by the beneficiaries they did not need or want the supplies.

They regularly billed Medicaid for the delivery of 300 diapers, the maximum allowed amount of incontinence supplies each month per beneficiary, and for extra-large size diaper briefs, which have the highest Medicaid reimbursement rate, without consideration to the actual size needed by the beneficiary.

They even billed Medicaid for delivering a quantity of extra large adult size diapers far in excess of the amount they purchased from wholesale suppliers. The evidence showed the defendants only purchased six percent of the amount of extra large diapers they claimed to have delivered.

The scheme to defraud began in April 2004, under the company Logic World, with the last false claim having been filed in February 2010 under the name Roben Medical. The Essiens billed Medicaid for claims totaling approximately $2,341,293.64 and received payments for those claims totaling approximately $1,455,837.91.

Over government objection, the court has permitted Bassey and Rose Essien to remain on bond pending sentencing on July 8, 2011

Benjamin Essien, 34, Bassey Essien’s son, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud, health care fraud, and aggravated theft in advance of trial.

All three defendants face a maximum of 10 years’ imprisonment and a $250,000 fine for the conspiracy conviction as well as each health care fraud conviction. Each count of aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory two-year consecutive term of imprisonment.

http://www.africanoutlookonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1515%3Aus-jury-convicts-nigerian-father-daughter-in-15m-health-care-fraud&Itemid=646

Medicare fraud: US jury convicts 2 Nigerians, medical doctor in Houston

After approximately 12 hours of deliberation, a Houston jury has convicted Umawa Imo, 57, a citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; Kenneth Anokam, 56, a naturalized citizen; and Houston physician Dr. Christina Clardy, 61, United States Attorney Angel José Moreno announced Tuesday.

Clardy, previously released on bond, was taken into custody after the verdict was returned. Imo and Anokam, already in federal custody since 2009, were ordered to remain in custody. Dr. Thaddeus Hume, 63, another Houston-area physician, was acquitted of all charges.

Tuesday's verdict found Imo guilty of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, 39 counts of health care fraud, three counts of mail fraud, and five counts of money laundering; Anokam was found guilty of conspiracy, 27 counts of health care fraud, and four counts of structuring; while Clardy was found guilty of conspiracy, 14 counts of health care fraud, and three counts of mail fraud.

The second superseding indictment, returned on March 25, 2010, charged Imo, Anokam, Clardy, Hume, and two others—who are believed to have fled the United States—with various federal crimes, including one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and 39 substantive health care fraud counts.

Three counts of mail fraud were also charged which related to paper checks valued at approximately $180,448 that were mailed by the Medicaid contract administrator, Texas Medicaid and Healthcare Partnership, to City Nursing Services of Texas Inc., a business owned by Imo, in lieu of electronic fund deposits.

The charged also included five counts of money laundering related to five transactions totaling $2,805,195 from a City Nursing bank account for referrals, the purchase and shipping of tankers to Lagos, Nigeria, as well as a check for more than $1 million payable to Imo himself and four counts of structuring financial transactions to avoid reporting requirements related to a series of bank withdrawals over a two-week period by Anokam.

Read full report here: http://africanoutlookonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1934%3Aus-court-indicts-2-nigerians-medical-doctor-in-houston-&Itemid=637

U.S. Convicts Another Nigerian Of Trafficking

“I’m sorry.”

That’s what Bidemi Bello, a 42-year-old Nigerian woman, told her two victims in a United States courtroom earlier this month.

US. District Judge William S. Duffy, Jr. convicted Bello, a once successful London-educated businesswoman, earlier this month to 140 months in prison. Duffy also ordered Bello to pay $144,200 in restitution to her victims. Bello will be stripped of her U.S. citizenship—she was naturalized in 2004.

Her victims are two Nigerian girls, known as Laome and Dupe, who were brought to the United States by Bello. Both girls are now 27-years-old.

Bello had recruited Laome and Dupe from Nigeria to come to the United States to work as nannies. She had promised to treat the girls like family members and to send them to school, according to the Office of the U.S. Attorney.

However, Laome and Dupe were forced to work as slaves without pay, faced to endure physical and verbal abuse.

In 2001, Bello had recruited Laome, who was 17 at the time, from Nigeria. Laome worked in Bello’s large home in an upscale neighborhood in Gwinnett County, Ga. from October 2001 through March 2004.

Laome eventually escaped, reportedly, with the help of one of Bello’s friends, who hid Laome in the back of car and covered Laome with blankets.

Bello then went back to Nigeria, to find another “house girl.” She recruited Dupe, who was 19 at the time. Bello brought Dupe to Georgia, again promising to send Dupe to school. Dupe worked in Bello’s home from November 2004 until April 2006 until she gathered enough money to escape by taking a taxicab to a church, where pastors assisted her.

full text here:

http://saharareporters.com/article/%E2%80%9Chouse-help%E2%80%9D-gone-bad-us-convicts-another-nigerian-trafficking-chika-oduah

Dr. Christine Daniel Cancer Fraud Case: Ends In Conviction

LOS ANGELES -- A doctor who said she could cure late-stage cancer and other diseases through an herbal supplement has been convicted of defrauding more than 50 patients across the nation out of $1 million.

Christine Daniel, 57, of Los Angeles was found guilty Monday of 11 counts, including wire fraud, tax evasion and witness tampering. She faces up to 150 years in prison and $5.5 million in fines when she's sentenced on Dec. 5.

Daniel used her position both as a doctor at the Sonrise Wellness Center and a Pentecostal minister to entice people from across the nation to take her herbal product. She charged as much as $150,000 for a six-month treatment program that she said could cure cancer, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's Disease and diabetes.


In court documents, authorities contend Daniel took advantage of patients who desperately sought alternative measures after enduring draining rounds of chemotherapy and radiation.

She claimed the supplement's success rate was between 60 and 100 percent for metastatic or terminal cancers. However, at trial experts called by federal prosecutors said chemical tests of the product showed it contained beef extract flavoring and a sunscreen preservative among other ingredients.

Many of her patients, relying on her product, died from complications of cancer within three to six months after taking the supplement. In all, authorities believe Daniel siphoned about $1.1 million from 55 families between 2001 and 2004.

Prosecutors said Daniel tried to influence the testimony of at least two witnesses who were called before a grand jury. She was acquitted of one count of witness tampering.

The trial, which began in March, took a four-month hiatus after the daughter of Daniel's defense attorney died in May. The lawyer was relieved and Daniel represented herself for the remainder of the trial. A phone listing for Daniel, who is free on bond, could not be found.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/27/dr-christine-daniel-cancer_n_984087.html

Nigerian arrested at Houston airport after allegedly ingesting heroin pellets

HOUSTON — A Nigerian man was arrested and charged Friday for allegedly ingesting 65 pellets totaling about one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of heroin, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas. This investigation is being conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Sunday Okechukwu Ogbonu, 47, a citizen of Nigeria, arrived at Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston Aug. 10 aboard Emirates flight 211 from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Ogbonu's itinerary indicated he had traveled from Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Nigeria to Dubai International Airport seven days earlier. He had a scheduled return flight to Nigeria Aug. 25 via Dubai.

Ogbonu was arrested Aug. 10 after CBP officers observed questionable behavior and believed he may be an internal drug courier. He gave written consent to be taken to a medical facility for an X-ray, which revealed multiple pellets containing an unknown substance and completely filled his stomach and intestines. He later expelled a pellet, the contents of which field tested positive for the presence of heroin.

Ogbonu remained under the care of medical professionals until he had passed all the pellets from his digestive tract; then he was medically discharged. He is expected to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy Johnson Aug. 16.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Bertram Isaacs, Southern District of Texas, is prosecuting the case.

A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.

http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1208/120816houston.htm

Nigerian national arrested for allegedly coercing underage girl
Engineering student charged with enticing undercover HSI agent posing as 16-year-old girl

Nigerian national arrested for allegedly coercing underage girl

EL PASO, Texas — A Nigerian national was arrested Aug. 16 after he arrived at a local residence to have sex with a person he believed to be a 16-year-old girl. Instead, he was met by a special agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Obinna Vincent Uzoh, 31, is charged with coercing and enticing a child. According to court documents, he approached a teenage girl in July, asked for her phone number and requested they meet even though he knew she was 16 years old. He gave the teen his phone number and asked that she text him.

Uzoh contacted the girl through a social network site earlier this month, unaware her identity had been assumed by an ICE HSI undercover agent. The agent and Uzoh communicated several times on the networking site and via text messages for a few days. Uzoh repeatedly asked if he could visit the teen at her house when she was alone, and described certain sexual acts he wanted to perform.

On Aug. 16, the undercover agent, posing as the teen, gave Uzoh an address. A short time later, Uzoh walked to the front door and knocked. Agents opened the door, and took him into custody.

"Child predators are a parent's worst nightmare," said Manuel Oyola-Torres, special agent in charge of ICE HSI in El Paso. "Individuals who prey on children should know by now, that ICE HSI will pursue them, and put them behind bars for a long time."

Uzoh reportedly is a petroleum engineer who claimed to attend the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, in Socorro, N.M. He had his first court appearance Aug. 17 and remains in federal custody without bond. His preliminary and detention hearing is set for Aug. 22 in federal court. If convicted, Uzoh faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison.

The Texas Department of Public Safety assisted with the arrest.

This investigation was part of Operation Predator, an ICE initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders, and child sex traffickers. ICE encourages the public to report suspected child predators by calling at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE. For more information, visit www.ice.gov.

http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1108/110819elpaso.htm

Nigerian man stripped of his U.S. citizenship following his conviction for marriage and naturalization fraud

HOUSTON - A Nigerian man on Monday was stripped of his U.S. citizenship at his sentencing hearing for conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, marriage fraud, naturalization fraud, and making a false statement to a federal agency. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney José Angel Moreno, southern District of Texas. The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Ibraheem Adeneye, 33, who is originally from Nigeria and became a naturalized U.S. citizen, was convicted of the charges May 7 by a jury. He has been in federal custody on these charges for about six months. U.S. District Judge Kenneth Hoyt sentenced Adeneye to the time he has already served in prison. The judge also granted the government's motion to strip Adeneye of his U.S. citizenship. Adeneye is now subject to deportation.

The ICE HSI investigation was initiated in 2008. Adeneye indicated that he was engaged in brokering sham marriages between Nigerian nationals and U.S. citizens so that the Nigerians could obtain immigration benefits, ultimately leading to U.S. citizenship. In return, the U.S. citizen "spouses" received cash payments to assist the Nigerians in the deception.

ICE agents made contact with Adeneye by using a confidential informant (CI), who had been previously married to Adeneye, and an undercover agent (UCA) posing as a U.S. citizen willing to engage in a fraudulent marriage. The CI introduced the UCA to Adeneye and Adeneye brokered an agreement between a Nigerian acquaintance and the UCA. A sham marriage was arranged between the UCA and the Nigerian national. Three days after their meeting the UCA engaged in a sham marriage ceremony at the Harris County, Texas, courthouse. County officials were aware of the undercover operation and no actual marriage was entered into by the UCA.

The investigation discovered that Adeneye's own marriage to the CI from 2002 through 2007 was fraudulent, and that the defendant had never lived with his purported spouse. Documents submitted to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in support of the defendant's application for U.S. citizenship, and sworn to by Adeneye, falsely claimed he had been married to and living with the same U.S. citizen spouse for the previous three years.

source:http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1012/101207houston.htm

Drug convict on death row in Malaysia is Nigerian, not Zambian -Consular

The Zambian government has discovered that a 35 year old man who is on a death row in Malaysia for drug trafficking claiming to be Zambian is not a Zambian national after-all, but a Nigerian who had obtained a Zambian passport .



The man claiming to be Emmanuel Kasanda of Zambia was last year sentenced to death by hanging by a Penang High court for trafficking in 37 capsules of Heroin weighing 160 grams.

Mr. Kasanda whose real names are not known was discovered to be a Nigerian national traveling on a Zambian Passport.

The discovery was made after a recent consular visit to the death row convict by Zambian officials.

The convict confessed to be a Nigerian national who dubiously obtained a Zambian passport to facilitate his easy movements.

He was arrested in October 2006 at Penang International Airport for trafficking in 37 capsules of heroin which he had swallowed.

A statement issues by the Zambian Drug Enforcement Commission spokesperson John Nyawali, stated that one, Mailesi Phiri who is also facing a possible death penalty in that country for drug trafficking, has been confirmed to be a Zambian. Mailesi is a Zambian national, contacts with her family in Zambia have been established" the statement said.

http://www.africanoutlookonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2743%3Adrug-convict-on-death-row-in-malaysia-is-nigerian-not-zambian-consular&Itemid=674

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