A Houston-area registered nurse has been caught in a massive Medicare fraud scheme that cost the government a staggering $5 million in losses. Charles Esechie, 47, of Katy, Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud in a U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Texas.
According to the plea agreement, Esechie worked as a nurse for both Harris County, Texas, Hospital District (Harris County) and Baptist Home Care Providers Inc. (Baptist) from 2008 through 2015. During this time, he was aware that his employer, Godwin Oriakhi, was obtaining Medicare patients by paying kickbacks to patient recruiters for referring patients to Baptist for home healthcare services that Esechie knew were medically unnecessary and often not provided.
Esechie admitted that he engaged in a scheme to defraud Medicare by submitting fraudulent claims for home health care services. He claimed that he was evaluating patients for Baptist at times when his employment records showed that he was working at a Harris County hospital. To accommodate his full-time work schedule, Esechie would copy patient and medical information from templates created for him by Oriakhi and Baptist’s office staff onto Baptist’s Medicare documents.
Esechie also admitted that he would see patients in groups at the home of one of Oriakhi’s patient recruiters and conduct perfunctory examinations that lasted approximately five to 10 minutes. However, he would overbill Medicare for comprehensive examinations.
The scheme, which was uncovered by the FBI, HHS-OIG, IRS-CI, and the Texas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, resulted in the submission of approximately $5,099,970 in fraudulent home healthcare claims to Medicare. The scheme also resulted in the receipt of approximately $4,792,199 on those claims.
Esechie is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sim Lake on August 17, 2017. This case is a reminder of the importance of holding individuals accountable for their role in Medicare fraud schemes, which can have a devastating impact on our healthcare system and the taxpayer.
Related Federal Cases
- Juan A. Tony Marrero, Medicare Fraud Scheme, Miami FL, 2023 · Florida
- Shannon Tecoko Mays, Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, Texas, 2012 · Kansas
- James Pavlounis, Social Security Administration Fraud and Tax Evasi… · Ohio
- Tren de Aragua Leaders Unsealed, Terror Cartel Crimes, Texas, 2023 · New York
- John Q. Smith, $50M Fraud Ring, Washington DC, 2025 · New York
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
