US Court Jails Nigerian Man Over $1M Health Insurance Fraud Scheme

A U.S. District Court has sentenced Henry Ezeonyido, a 37-year-old Nigerian national, to 27 months in prison for masterminding a health insurance fraud scheme that defrauded insurance providers of over $1 million through falsified international medical claims.

In addition to his prison sentence, Ezeonyido was ordered to pay $655,313 in restitution and forfeit $396,998 in proceeds tied to the scheme. He will also serve three years of supervised release following his incarceration.

According to a statement released by the U.S. Department of Justice, Ezeonyido and his accomplices submitted fake health insurance claims from October 2019 to February 2022, falsely claiming they had received costly emergency medical treatment abroad.

“From approximately October 2019 to February 2022, Ezeonyido submitted fraudulent health insurance claims – on his behalf and on behalf of at least seven other individuals… for expensive medical treatment that they purportedly received and paid for out-of-pocket while travelling overseas,” the statement read.

The claims included fabricated injuries such as stabbings, gunshot wounds, and hit-and-run car accidents, supposedly treated at foreign hospitals. However, investigations revealed that in nearly all cases, the individuals were actually in the United States at the time of the alleged incidents.

Ezeonyido was arrested in July 2024 and later indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2024. His co-conspirators — Brendon Ashe, Aqiyla Atherton, Darline Cobbler, and Ariel Lambert — pleaded guilty and were sentenced to probation for their roles in the scam.

The fraudulent claims resulted in health insurance companies disbursing about $655,313, a portion of which was kicked back to Ezeonyido as the scheme’s ringleader.

“Upon receiving these payments from their health insurance companies, Ashe, Cobbler, Lambert, and others paid a portion of the proceeds to Ezeonyido and other co-conspirators, including Atherton, who acted as an intermediary, bringing others into the scheme in exchange for a cut of their paid claims,” the DOJ said.

“In total, Ezeonyido retained approximately $396,998 in fraud proceeds.”

U.S. authorities emphasized that the case underscores the broader impact of healthcare fraud.

“Healthcare fraud affects every American through increased premiums and reduced trust in the system,” said U.S. Attorney Foley, stressing the importance of accountability and deterrence in protecting the integrity of the healthcare system.