Okorie Oko, Henry Dobbins charged in $10M Medicare Fraud/kickback scheme

A home health agency owner and patient recruiter operating in Houston, Texas, have been arrested on charges of conspiracy to commit, committing health care fraud and conspiracy to pay and receive health care kickbacks, as announced by U.S Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.

A federal grand jury in Houston returned the five-count indictment against Okorie Oko, 63, and Henry C. Dobbins, 57, on April 26 which was unsealed on April 26 upon their arrests and their initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter Bray.

According to the indictment, Oko is the owner and Dobbins is a patient recruiter, respectively, of Elitte Healthcare and Service Inc.

The indictment alleges that from 2015 to 2022, Oko billed Medicare for home health care services that were never provided and created false medical records. Oko allegedly paid kickbacks to Dobbins, patients and marketers that Elitte employed to obtain new patient referrals. Oko also allegedly billed Medicare for home health care services provided to Elitte marketers while transporting and recruiting patients within the community.

The indictment further alleges Oko and Elitte fraudulently billed more than $10 million to Medicare. If convicted, both face up to 10 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.