A November 2023 indictment, returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Roanoke, Virginia charging nine people with healthcare fraud conspiracy, money laundering, and obstruction of justice, has been unsealed following the arrest and initial court appearances of all nine defendants.
According to court documents, Carolyn Bryant-Taylor, 59, of Clinton, Maryland; Kafomdi “Josephine” Okocha, 48, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland; Samuel Okocha, 50, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland; Shekita Gore, a.k.a. Shekita Steele, 38, of Clinton, Maryland; Berthe Feuzeu, a.k.a. Berthe Djuni, 48, of Manassas Park, Virginia; Anthony Kanu, 57, of Bladensburg, Maryland; Elizabeth Ilome, 41, of Stafford, Virginia; Eno Utuk, 47, of Stafford, Virginia; and Rhabiatu Kamara, 45, of Fort Washington, Maryland, are all charged with conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud. Bryant-Taylor, Josephine Okocha, Samuel Okocha, and Gore also are charged with one count of healthcare fraud. Additionally, Bryant-Taylor is charged with two counts of obstruction of justice and one count of money laundering. Josephine Okocha is charged with three counts of money laundering.
According to the indictment, Bryant-Taylor, Josephine Okocha, Samuel Okocha, and Gore are owners and operators of 1st Adult N Pediatric Healthcare Service, a Medicaid-enrolled home health agency providing private duty nursing, personal care, and respite care services throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, including in the Western District of Virginia. Feuzeu, Kanu, Utuk and Kamara were employed by 1st Adult as nurses and Ilome as a medication technician. The defendants are alleged to have conspired to submit false claims to Medicaid for services that were not provided to patients, including falsifying records and documentation in support of the fraudulent claims submitted for reimbursement.
