Sunday, July 26, 2009


U.S. $42m Health care fraud: Nigerian indicted

A NIGERIAN who lives in Houston, United States of America, was indicted on Friday on charges that he sought $42 million (about N7.5 billion) in false Medicare and Medicaid claims by paying friends $100 each to sign blank health care forms he would later submit for reimbursement.



http://odili.net/news/source/2009/jul/26/14.html

Umawa Oke Imo, 54, a permanent resident immigrant in the US, was indicted this week but first charged and detained in June.

He is accused of using an improperly staffed physical therapy clinic called City Nursing Services of Texas, to conspire to commit health care fraud, mail fraud and money laundering, U.S. Attorney, Tim Johnson, and Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbott, announced. The clinic is said to be located at 9888 Bissonnet.

In a 36-count indictment, Imo is accused of paying recruiters to refer "patients" and paying those people $100 to sign numerous blank health care claim forms that were falsely submitted to the government though no care was rendered. Prosecutors alleged Imo paid even more to keep patients from reporting the fraud to authorities once they saw claims had been made in their names.

Imo's lawyer, Ralph Martinez, who said he's paid by Imo's family in Nigeria because Imo's funds are frozen, said his client was just one of many investors is this and two other clinics and had little to do with the day-to-day running of the clinic.

"He never saw patients. This is about people caught red-handed trying to curry favor with the government by blaming my client," Martinez said.

The $42 million in billing was put through from 2007 to April 2009. Medicare paid more than $27 million and Medicaid nearly $3 million to City Nursing, prosecutors said.

The government alleges there was a check for $1 million made to Imo himself.

Martinez said his client, who initially had a public defender, does not live a lavish lifestyle. His home in Richmond has an appraised value of $283,340.

This was a joint investigation involving the FBI, IRS, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and state Medicaid fraud control.

Imo river runs deep.
Wud those ppl he payed to keep their mouth shut and the other 2 join him to face the warrant

They should let the guy go and clean-up their 'bleeped up' Health Care system!

back2back:

They should let the guy go and clean-up their 'bleeped up' Health Care system!

So to you, the fault lies with the Health Care System and not the fraudulent guy who exploited the loopholes in the system? I'm sure you can do better than this.

So to you, the fault lies with the Health Care System and not the fraudulent guy who exploited the loopholes in the system? I'm sure you can do better than this.

they are guilty for the loopholes and not the guy!

They should rather employ him to be 'tester' for other loopholes in their system!

let them deal with it and spare us their hullabaloo

Nothing like keeping that glorious Nigerian fraud flag flying, so as to reassure the world that Nigerians are genetically gifted with the skills and innate compulsion to FIND LOOPHOLES, and then drive trucks laded with stolen cash and merchandise through them.

Jakumo:

Nothing like keeping that glorious Nigerian fraud flag flying, so as to reassure the world that Nigerians are genetically gifted with the skills and innate compulsion to FIND LOOPHOLES, and then drive trucks laded with stolen cash and merchandise through them.

Look in life there is not wrong or right just from which side you look at things.

If any country in the world wants to develop a 'LOOPHOLE proof system', simply employ Nigerians.

We can make lots of money 'testing' systems and get paid for it.

We think 'out-of-the-box'!!! Turn negative into postive. Be a proud Nigerian!

Somebody has already introduced tribalism here https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-302055.0.html#msg4258488. Nigerians are pathetic.

Meanwhile back to the topic (BTT), how many people on this forum know this 54 year old Umawa Oke Imo who is a disgrace to our common patrimony- Nigeria.
Next time when you or your relation or friends are harrassed or given sly looks because you are a Nigerian or of Nigerian descent, think about Umawa Oke Imo atrocities and other rogues like him who we honour as Chiefs, Elders, Baba Adinnis, GCFR etc but whose very acts of ommission and/or commission make life a living hell for you and I within and outside Nigeria.

anonimi:

Meanwhile back to the topic (BTT), how many people on this forum know this 54 year old Umawa Oke Imo who is a disgrace to our common patrimony- Nigeria.
Next time when you or your relation or friends are harrassed or given sly looks because you are a Nigerian or of Nigerian descent, think about Umawa Oke Imo atrocities and other rogues like him who we honour as Chiefs, Elders, Baba Adinnis, GCFR etc but whose very acts of ommission and/or commission make life a living hell for you and I within and outside Nigeria.

unfounded.

how many oyinbo is given sly looks for all the atrocities they commited?
how many Russina given sly looks for their internet frauds?
how many Chinese given sly looks for their priracy?

Stop feeling inferior. assert yourself!

Meanwhile back to the topic (BTT), how many people on this forum know this 54 year old Umawa Oke Imo who is a disgrace to our common patrimony- Nigeria.
Next time when you or your relation or friends are harrassed or given sly looks because you are a Nigerian or of Nigerian descent, think about Umawa Oke Imo atrocities and other rogues like him who we honour as Chiefs, Elders, Baba Adinnis, GCFR etc but whose very acts of ommission and/or commission make life a living hell for you and I within and outside Nigeria.

Baseless!!!

You have inferiority complex of the highest order.