Press Release  Seven Individuals Indicted in Connection With Scheme to Fraudulently Bill Health Insurers for Care Not Received

BOSTON — Seven individuals have been indicted in connection with a coordinated scheme to collect reimbursement checks from Massachusetts health insurance companies for medical treatment they never received, Attorney General Maura Healey announced today.

The charges are the result of a joint investigation conducted by the AG’s Office and the Insurance Fraud Bureau of Massachusetts revealing that, from March 2015 through February 2021, the defendants fraudulently collected more than $326,000 in reimbursement checks from their insurance companies after submitting 18 false insurance claims for medical treatment they allegedly received while traveling in Africa.

The seven defendants were indicted Monday by a Statewide Grand Jury on the following charges:

Henry Ezeonyido, 34, of Reading

Insurance Fraud (7 counts)

Larceny (3 counts)

Attempted Larceny (4 counts)

Conspiracy (1 count)

Common and Notorious Thief (1 count)

Donald Ezeonyido, 37, of Stoughton

Insurance Fraud (3 counts)

Larceny (3 counts)

Attempted Larceny (1 count)

Conspiracy (1 count)

Ikenna Nwachineke, 45, of Stoughton

Insurance Fraud (2 counts)

Larceny (2 counts)

Conspiracy (1 count)

Sike Ekhator, 37, of Revere

Insurance Fraud (1 count)

Larceny (1 count)

Conspiracy (1 count)

Solange Takor, 37, of Brockton

Insurance Fraud (2 counts)

Larceny (1 count)

Attempted Larceny (1 count)

Conspiracy (1 count)

Oyemwen Tina Ehigie, 55, of Dedham

Insurance Fraud (1 count)

Larceny (1 count)

Conspiracy (1 count)

Pamela Ahmad, 39, of Dorchester

Insurance Fraud (1 count)

Attempted Larceny (1 count)

Conspiracy (1 count)

The defendants will be arraigned in Suffolk, Norfolk, Plymouth, Essex, and Worcester Superior Courts at a later date.

The AG’s investigation found that the 18 sets of medical records provided by the defendants to their insurance companies were substantially similar and several of the defendants were working and collecting wages in the United States on the same dates they were allegedly hospitalized and receiving care in Africa.

All of these charges are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

AG Healey’s Insurance and Unemployment Fraud Division works to protect consumers and the integrity of the insurance system by investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against all types of insurers, including the state’s unemployment insurance and workers’ compensation systems.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Kelsey Force, formerly of AG Healey’s Insurance and Unemployment Fraud Division, with assistance from Assistant Attorney General Joseph Posner and Investigator Loreny Bernabe, both of the AG’s Insurance and Unemployment Fraud Division, and investigators and analysts from the Insurance Fraud Bureau.

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