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Okocha Duo Plead Guilty in $Millions Medicaid Fraud
LYNCHBURG, Va. – The rot runs deep in the Commonwealth’s healthcare system. Two former owners of 1st Adult N Pediatric Healthcare, Kafomdi “Josephine” Okocha, 49, and Samuel Okocha, 52, both of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, admitted today to conspiring to bleed Medicaid dry. They pled guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud, facing a potential eight-year stretch behind bars at sentencing.
This wasn’t a simple oversight; it was a calculated scheme. Court documents reveal the Okochas, along with others, systematically fabricated claims for services never rendered. The operation, spanning from 2017 to 2023, targeted Virginia’s Medicaid program, enriching the perpetrators while stealing from those who genuinely need care. Carolyn Bryant-Taylor, 61, of Clinton, Maryland, already copped a plea last week to similar charges, while Shekita Gore (a.k.a. Shekita Steele), 38, of Clinton, Maryland; Elizabeth Ilome, 41, of Stafford, Virginia; and Eno Utuk, 47, of Stafford, Virginia, still await their day in court.
1st Adult N Pediatric Healthcare Service wasn’t providing legitimate home health services; it was a front. The agency, enrolled in Medicaid, supposedly offered private duty nursing, personal care, and respite care throughout Virginia, including the Western District. But the reality, according to prosecutors, was a web of falsified records and phantom patients. Gore, the director of nursing, and nurses Utuk and Ilome were allegedly complicit in the fraud, submitting bogus documentation to justify the inflated bills.
The most damning detail? The Okochas and Bryant-Taylor weren’t just falsifying records; they were paying for them. They allegedly arranged to compensate the parents or guardians of patients in exchange for blank, signed nursing notes. These notes were then filled out with fraudulent information, bolstering the false claims submitted to Medicaid. The scheme inflated the amount billed, reflecting services either never provided or provided in quantities far exceeding reality. We’re talking about a brazen attempt to siphon off taxpayer dollars.
“This guilty plea demonstrates our commitment to holding accountable those who exploit our healthcare system for personal gain,” stated Robert N. Tracci, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia. Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares and Acting Special Agent in Charge Stephen Farina of the FBI’s Richmond Division joined in the announcement, signaling a unified front against healthcare fraud. The investigation, a joint effort between the FBI and the Virginia Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, received assistance from the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan Jones and Laura Taylor, along with Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Terry, a Senior Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, are building the case. Expect more indictments to follow as this investigation continues to unravel the full extent of the fraud. The Grimy Times will continue to track this case and expose the individuals profiting from the suffering of others.
RELATED: First Adult N Pediatric Healthcare Owners Plead Guilty to Fraud
Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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