US Declares Two Nigerians Wanted Over $3.1m Medicare Fraud, Drug Offences

The United States government has listed two Nigerian men, Ezechukwu Joshua Ohaka and Tayo Muyiwa Olukoya, as wanted over separate allegations involving healthcare fraud and drug-related offences.

The two men were listed by different US federal law enforcement agencies, with Ohaka accused of participating in a scheme involving more than $3.1 million in fraudulent Medicare claims, while Olukoya is wanted over an alleged conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.

According to information released by the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, Ohaka, 57, allegedly worked with co-conspirators through his Houston-based company, Luant & Odera, Inc., to submit fraudulent claims for durable medical equipment.

The equipment included power wheelchairs, motorised scooters and wheelchair accessories that investigators alleged were medically unnecessary or were not supplied to beneficiaries.

The agency said the alleged scheme involved more than $3.1 million in claims, with approximately $1.08 million in proceeds reportedly obtained.

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Investigators also alleged that Ohaka presented himself as a medical doctor under the name “Dr Joshua Ohaka” and targeted Medicare beneficiaries who had lived in areas affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

The authorities further alleged that kickbacks were paid to recruit beneficiaries into the scheme.

The allegations concern possible fraud against Medicare, the US government-funded health insurance programme that primarily serves people aged 65 and older and certain younger people with qualifying disabilities or medical conditions.

In a separate case, the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) listed Olukoya, 57, also known as “Uncle”, as wanted over an alleged conspiracy to possess controlled substances with the intention of distributing them and to distribute the substances.

The DEA’s Chicago Division announced that it was seeking information about Olukoya, whose case is associated with the Southern District of Indiana.

Olukoya had previously been named among defendants in a marijuana trafficking case announced by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana in May 2022. Prosecutors at the time alleged that the wider operation involved the distribution of large quantities of marijuana across several US states between 2016 and 2022.

However, the latest DEA wanted notice does not, by itself, establish that the allegations have been proven in court.

The two cases involve separate investigations, and there is no indication in the available reports that Ohaka and Olukoya were connected.

US authorities have called for information that could help locate the wanted men. The agencies have not established in the cited announcements that either man is currently in Nigeria.

The development comes amid continued efforts by US law enforcement agencies to pursue people accused of healthcare fraud, drug trafficking and other federal offences.

Both men are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.