Nigeria: Nigerian man among hundreds charged in $14bn U.S. healthcare fraud scandal
By Zuleihat Owuiye, Mamos Nigeria
A Nigerian man, Olatunbosun Osukoya, has been indicted in the United States alongside over 300 individuals in what authorities are calling one of the largest healthcare fraud crackdowns in the country’s history.
The operation targeted a vast network of healthcare professionals — including doctors, pharmacists, and nurses — accused of exploiting the system for personal gain. Altogether, the fraud schemes are believed to have caused over $14 billion in intended losses.
Osukoya, 67, is said to have owned a diagnostic laboratory and allegedly submitted more than $25 million in false medical claims to major U.S. insurers. Investigators claim he sought out people with health insurance to undergo costly diagnostic tests and then paid medical professionals to refer patients to his lab.
To cover up the fraudulent activity, Osukoya and his associates allegedly fabricated diagnoses and disguised illegal payments as legitimate business transactions such as consultation fees or loans.
The scheme reportedly earned him over $5 million in reimbursements, with more than $450,000 allegedly paid out as bribes or kickbacks.
In a separate case, a Nigerian man based in France, Newton Ofioritse Jemide, was recently sentenced in the U.S. to over three years in prison for his role in an $8 million disaster relief fraud. Jemide had been extradited to the U.S. and was found guilty of unlawfully collecting federal grants intended to assist vulnerable citizens during crises.
These cases highlight a growing international dimension in the fight against healthcare and financial fraud, with authorities ramping up efforts to track, extradite, and prosecute individuals involved, regardless of where they operate from.
