KANSAS CITY, KS—A Texas man has been convicted of fraudulently billing Medicare for power wheelchairs and other medical devices, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.
A jury convicted Edmund Nwaudobi, 48, Sugar Land, Texas, on one count of conspiracy to defraud Medicare, two counts of health care fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft.
“Health care fraud is a widespread problem,” said U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom. “We are working hard to protect the American people and safeguard precious taxpayer dollars.”
During trial, federal prosecutors presented evidence that from 2004 to 2009 Nwaudobi conspired with co-defendants Tom Alabraba, Iyaye Ishmael, and George Tasie to fraudulently bill Medicare for power wheelchairs and other medical devices, such as leg and body braces. In some instances, Medicaid was billed for devices that were not medically necessary, including leg braces for an individual who had previously had his legs amputated, and who never received the braces. In other instances, Medicare was billed for medical devices that Medicare recipients never received.
Nwaudobi conducted business on behalf of Good Care, Inc., an Overland Park, Kan., company that supplied durable medical equipment such as orthotics. Nwaudobi shared patient information with Tom Alabraba, who owned or operated Tal-Med, Inc., a Kansas City, Kan., company that supplied durable medical devices; George Tasie, who owned or operated Central Medical, Inc., a Kansas City, Kan., company that supplied durable medical devices; and Iyaye Ishmael, who was a manager of Central Medical, Inc.
The companies billed more than $2.9 million in Medicare claims for 397 beneficiaries living in Missouri and Kansas, and received more than $1.5 million from those claims.
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