Three former employees of 1st Adult N Pediatric Healthcare, including the director of nursing, pleaded guilty to healthcare fraud and misprision charges. Shekita Gore, a.k.a. Shekita Steele, 38, of Clinton, Maryland, and Eno Utuk, 47, of Stafford, Virginia, pled guilty today to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud. At sentencing, both defendants face a penalty of up to 10 years in prison. Elizabeth Ilome, 41, also of Stafford, Virginia, pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony. Ilome faces a maximum possible penalty of 3 years in prison. In recent weeks, Carolyn Bryant-Taylor, 61, of Clinton, Maryland, Kafomdi “Josephine” Okocha, 49, and Samuel Okocha, 52, both of Upper Marlboro, Maryland all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud.
According to court documents, Bryant-Taylor, Josephine Okocha, and Samuel Okocha were 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. Gore was the director of nursing, while Utuk and Ilome were employed by 1st Adult to provide nursing and personal care. The defendants 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.