Audu Ozigi, a former operator of home health agencies, was sentenced to 168 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release after he was found guilty of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, falsifying patient files and fraudulently billing Medicare and Medicaid.
Mr. Ozigi was also ordered to pay more than $11 million in restitution to government healthcare programs, according to a Dec. 10 news release from the Texas attorney general's office.
He served as operator of home health agencies owned by co-conspirator Margaret Arise, according to prosecutors. Together, they conspired to falsify patient files, pay marketers and offer kickbacks to referring physicians for signing unnecessary home health orders.
Prosecutors said Mr. Ozigi and Ms. Arise systematically submitted claims to federal healthcare programs for services that were not provided, not medically required, or both.