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Texas Man Sentenced to 80 Years for Medicare Fraud
A Texas man has been extradited from Cameroon to serve an 80-year prison sentence for his role in a massive Medicare fraud scheme.
According to court documents, Ebong Aloysius Tilong, 57, of Sugar Land, Texas, and his wife, Marie Neba, went to trial in 2016 on charges of conspiracy, health care fraud, and money laundering. The trial evidence and court documents showed that between 2006 and 2015, Tilong, Neba, and their co-conspirators used Tilong and Neba’s company, Fiango Home Healthcare Inc. (Fiango), to corruptly obtain more than $13 million by submitting false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for home health care services that Fiango’s patients did not need or receive.
The evidence also showed that Tilong and Neba paid illegal kickbacks to patient recruiters to refer patients to Fiango, and that Tilong falsified and directed others to falsify medical records to make it appear as though Fiango’s patients met the Medicare qualifications for home health care. Additional evidence demonstrated that Tilong attempted to destroy evidence and blackmail and suborn perjury from witnesses.
Tilong pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, three counts of health care fraud, one count of conspiracy to pay and receive health care kickbacks, three counts of payment and receipt of health care kickbacks, and one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.
In a separate case, Tilong pleaded guilty to two counts of filing fraudulent tax returns in June 2017. In connection with this guilty plea, Tilong admitted that he created a shell company called Quality Therapy Services (QTS) to limit the amount of tax that he paid to the IRS on the proceeds that he and his co-conspirators stole from Medicare.
Tilong was sentenced to 80 years in prison on December 8, 2017, after he failed to appear for his sentencing hearing. He was located in Cameroon by the FBI and worked collaboratively with international partners to ensure his capture. The National Police Force of Cameroon arrested him in January 2019.
On December 10, 2021, U.S. Marshals escorted Tilong from Cameroon to the United States. The United States is grateful to the Government of Cameroon for its cooperation and support of this extradition request.
Tilong’s extradition is a significant victory for the U.S. government in its efforts to combat Medicare fraud and bring perpetrators to justice.
The exact criminal charges against Tilong include:
Conspiracy to commit health care fraud, three counts of health care fraud, one count of conspiracy to pay and receive health care kickbacks, three counts of payment and receipt of health care kickbacks, and one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.
Tilong’s company, Fiango Home Healthcare Inc., was also charged in connection with the scheme.
Defendant: Ebong Aloysius Tilong
City and State: Sugar Land, Texas
Date: November 2016 (trial), December 8, 2017 (sentencing)
Sentence: 80 years in prison
Dollar amounts involved: $13 million and $344,452 (tax loss)
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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