Healthcare Fraud Scheme Exposed: Former Employees Plead Guilty to Misprision and Conspiracy Charges

Shekita Gore, a.k.a. Shekita Steele, a 38-year-old former director of nursing from Clinton, Maryland, and Eno Utuk, a 47-year-old nurse from Stafford, Virginia, have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud. Elizabeth Ilome, a 41-year-old nurse from Stafford, Virginia, has also pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony. The trio, along with three other defendants, Carolyn Bryant-Taylor, Kafomdi "Josephine" Okocha, and Samuel Okocha, were involved in a scheme to submit false claims to Medicaid for services not provided to patients. The defendants, who were owners and operators of 1st Adult N Pediatric Healthcare Service, falsified records and documentation to support the fraudulent claims submitted for reimbursement.

Key Takeaways:

• Shekita Gore, a 38-year-old former director of nursing, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, facing up to 10 years in prison at sentencing.
• Eno Utuk, a 47-year-old nurse, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, facing up to 10 years in prison at sentencing.
• Elizabeth Ilome, a 41-year-old nurse, pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony, facing a maximum possible penalty of 3 years in prison.
• The defendants conspired to submit false claims to Medicaid for services not provided to patients, including falsifying records and documentation in support of the fraudulent claims submitted for reimbursement.
• The scheme involved paying parents or guardians of patients in exchange for blank, signed nursing notes that would be filled out and used to support billing to Medicaid.
• The amount billed to Medicaid either reflected nursing services that were not provided at all, or an amount of nursing services that was in excess of what was provided.
• Restaurant owners and operators, including Carolyn Bryant-Taylor and Josephine Okocha, were involved in the scheme, which occurred between 2017 and 2023.
• Robert N. Tracci, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced the guilty pleas.

Statistics:

• 5 defendants pleaded guilty to healthcare fraud charges, including Shekita Gore, Eno Utuk, Elizabeth Ilome, Carolyn Bryant-Taylor, and Josephine Okocha.
• The scheme occurred between 2017 and 2023, a period of approximately 6 years.
• The defendants submitted false claims to Medicaid for services not provided to patients, resulting in unknown financial losses for the government.
• The scheme involved the falsification of records and documentation in support of the fraudulent claims submitted for reimbursement.
• The defendants faced a maximum possible penalty of up to 10 years in prison for conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and up to 3 years in prison for misprision of a felony.

Sources:

• United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Virginia