NIGERIAN JAILED FOUR YEARS FOR $8.3 MILLION FRAUD IN AMERICA
The 47 year old Fatunmbi, 47, was found guilty on one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, seven counts of health care fraud and one count of money laundering, and was also asked to pay roughly $1.1 million in restitution to American Government.
Penpushing further reports that, the order was made by Christiana Snyder of the U.S. District Court of Central District of California, while Fatunmi admitted he paid cash kickbacks to patient recruiters and physicians for fraudulent prescriptions for durable medical equipment (DME).
This, according to the U.S. authorities, however, including power wheelchairs, which the Medicare beneficiaries did not have a legitimate medical need, adding that Fatunmbi and co-conspirators caused Lutemi Medical Supply (Lutemi), a DME supply company that he co-ran, to submit approximately $8.3 million in claims to Medicare, which resulted in the company being paid over $3.5 million.
Penpushing also reports that, the convict further admitted that he was responsible for $2.1 million in false and fraudulent claims for medically unnecessary DME and that as a result of his conduct, Medicare paid Lutemi a total of $1.1 million.
The authorities said, conspirators also wrote cheques from Lutemi’s bank account to Lutemi employees and others, and Fatunmbi instructed that those monies be returned to him to pay the illegal cash kickbacks to the patient recruiters and Doctors.
Penpushing reports that Fatunmbi also admitted directing others at Lutemi to engage in the fraud to conceal the nature and source of the proceeds of the health care fraud conspiracy, while other conspirators identified in the fraud, were identified as Olufunke Fadojutimi, (47), of Carson, California, and Maritza Elizabeth Velasquez, (44), of Las Vegas, Nevada, and were also charged.
The authorities said, Velasquez had pleaded guilty in 2013 and sentenced to 15 months in jail and was also asked to pay restitution in excess of $3.4 million, while the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California is pursuing a total forfeiture of Fatunmbi and others caught in the fraud.
Penpushing further reports that, the sentencing comes amidst fresh arrests in multimillion dollar online fraud bust by the Federal Bureau Investigation (FBI). and other American authorities, including the arrest of Obinwanne Okeke and nearly 80 other Nigerians this month.
Meanwhile,some of the officials who investigated and prosecuted Mr Fatunmbi’s case, including Nicola Hannah and Paul Delacourt, were also involved in tracking down the nearly 80 Nigerians indicted on Thursday.
