From The Trussville Tribune staff reports
TRUSSVILLE – A indictment from March was unsealed today, charging four people from a Birmingham clinic with 44 counts of health care fraud, unlawful drug distribution and money laundering. Among the four charged was a nurse from Trussville.
Dr. Patrick Emeka Ifediba, 59, his wife Dr. Uchenna Grace Ifediba, 53, were indicted along with Clement Essien Ebio, 60, and Ngozi Justina Ozuligbo, 48. Ozuligbo is the sister of Ifediba and is a licensed practical nurse from Trussville.
According to the indictment, the four are accused of running a “pill mill” at the privately-owned Care Complete Medical Clinic in Birmingham, run by the Iefidbas. They are accused of stealing “millions of dollars” from healthcare programs by falsely billing for allergy treatments and other medical services.
“As alleged, the indictment describes schemes motivated by unbridled greed in which the doctors allegedly used their prescribing authority to force unwilling, but ultimately opioid-dependent, patients to submit to unnecessary allergy testing and treatment in exchange for narcotics prescriptions,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Mohammad Khatib, who is prosecuting the case with attorney Jim Weil. “Such conduct is not only anti-medicine; it is a crime for which justice demands a serious response.”
A copy of the indictment said that Ozuligbo worked at the Care Complete clinic “at times” as an employee and at other times as a “Georgia Company Employee”. The indictment also said that she was the sole member of Happy Monica LLC, Emeka LLC and Kenz LLC said to all be located at Linden Street in Trussville.
“The charges of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and health care fraud both carry maximum penalties of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine,” the office of U.S. Attorney Jay Town said in a statement. “Making false statements related to health care matters carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of controlled substances both carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Maintaining drug-involved premises carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.
Money laundering conspiracy and laundering of monetary instruments both carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property worth more than $10,000 carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or twice the amount of the criminally derived property involved.”
The case was investigated by the FBI and the DEA.