HOUSTON – Authorities say two healthcare officials from the Greater Houston area have been sentenced to federal prison after participating in an illegal kickback scheme that brought them more than $1.4M.
Officials from the Department of Justice say a Houston man, 59-year-old Joseph Nwankwo, and a Richmond woman, 51-year-old Stacey Ajaja, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and paying/receiving illegal health care kickbacks.
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Nwankwo was ordered to serve 36 months in federal prison, and Ajaja received a 14-month term of imprisonment. Both Nwankwo and Ajaja must also serve three years of supervised release following their prison terms.
The judge ordered Nwankwo to pay $1,218,615.13 in restitution to Medicare, while Ajaja was ordered to pay $238,164.69.
Investigators say Nwankwo and Ajaja co-owned Hefty Healthcare Services Inc. and admitted that from 2014 through 2016, they both had obtained patient referrals by paying marketers and patients.
Nwankwo also reportedly admitted to bribing a physician to authorize medically unnecessary home health services for Hefty patients.
Both parties were permitted to remain on bond and asked to voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.