Ekpedeme Obot, 35, of Houston, was sentenced to 41 months in prison for his role in a Medicare fraud scheme.
On June 22, 2011, Obot pleaded guilty to one count of making false statements relating to health care matters and one count of health care fraud.
According to court documents, Obot was an owner and operator of Praise DME, a company that purported to provide orthotics and other durable medical equipment to Medicare beneficiaries.
Praise submitted claims to Medicare for DME, including orthotic devices, which were medically unnecessary and/or not provided. Many of the orthotic devices were components of an "arthritis kit," and were purported to be for the treatment of arthritis-related conditions.
From March 2007 through August 2008, Obot submitted claims of more than $1.3 million to Medicare and was paid approximately $945,637.
Obot was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $945,637 in restitution.
This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Blan and Trial Attorney Laura M.K. Cordova of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.
The case was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, supervised by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas and the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.
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Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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