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A District Court of the United States sentenced a Nigerian man, Henry Ezeonyido, to 27 months in prison for orchestrated a system of health insurance fraud that has chilled over $ 1 million insurers through false international medical requests.
The 37 -year -old was also ordered to pay $ 655,313 in return and to give up $ 396,998 in the proceeds related to the fraudulent regime and will serve three years of controlled release after completing his prison sentence.
According to a declaration by the United States Department of Justice, from October 2019 to February 2022, Ezeonyido presented false requests to five insurance companies, claiming that he and at least seven others had received emergency medical care abroad for serious injuries such as stabbing, gun wounds and car accidents.
The declaration stated: “Ezeonyido was arrested and accused in July 2024 together with the Brendon Ashe Cospittori, Aqiyla Atherton, Darline Cobbler and Ariel Lambert. Ezeonyido were subsequently incriminated by a federal jury in September.
“From about October 2019 to February 2022, Ezeonyido has submitted requests for fraudulent health insurance-for his account and on behalf of at least seven people, including Ashe, Atheron, Cobbler and Lambert-a five different health insurance companies for expensive medical treatment that presumably received and paid for the steps during the journey abroad.
“Many of the statements include false traumatic injuries such as stabbed, gun wounds and road accidents that the defendants and others presumably suffered, requesting their hospitalization abroad. In almost all cases, individuals were actually in the United States at the time of pretended international medical events.”
Following the presentation of the false complaints, the insurance companies have paid about $ 655,313 to the people involved, some of whom according to what reported they paid repercussions to Ezeonyido for having orchestrated and facilitated payments.
He added: “Following these fraudulent requests, the victim’s health insurance companies have been invoiced over $ 1 million for services that have never been provided, with consequent payments for a total of about $ 655,313.
“After receiving these payments from their health insurance companies, Ashe, Cobbler, Lambert and others, they paid a part of the proceeds to Ezeonyido and other co-Sfirators, including Atherton, who acted as an intermediary, who led to the regime in exchange for a cut of their paid complaints. In total, Ezeonyido maintained $ 39.98 approximately Frau, the proceeds.
The US authorities underlined the meaning of the conviction in the fight against health fraud. “The health fraud affects every American through an increase in prizes and a reduction in trust in the system,” said the American lawyer Foley.
