Nigerian Man Sentenced To Two Years In US Prison For $1 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

A 37-year-old Nigerian man, Henry Ezeonyido, has been sentenced in federal court in Boston for leading a scheme that defrauded health insurance companies of over \$1 million through false reimbursement claims for fake medical expenses allegedly incurred abroad.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced the sentencing on Wednesday, May 21, 2025.

Ezeonyido, a resident of Taunton, Boston, received a 27-month prison sentence from U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin, followed by three years of supervised release.

He was also ordered to pay $655,313 in restitution and forfeit $396,998 in criminal proceeds. He pleaded guilty in February 2025 to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and six counts of health care fraud.

Arrested in July 2024, Ezeonyido was later indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2024 along with co-conspirators Brendon Ashe, Aqiyla Atherton, Darline Cobbler, and Ariel Lambert. All co-defendants pleaded guilty and received probation.

Between October 2019 and February 2022, Ezeonyido submitted fraudulent insurance claims for himself and at least seven others to five different insurers. These claims included fake injuries such as stabbings, gunshot wounds, and hit-and-run accidents, supposedly treated abroad. In reality, the individuals were in the U.S. during the alleged incidents.

Some participants were complicit, while others were unaware or misled into sharing their insurance information. Ezeonyido used fabricated medical records, fake bank statements, and falsified police reports to support the bogus claims, many of which shared nearly identical details.

The scheme led to over $1 million in false billing and roughly $655,313 in actual payouts. Ezeonyido received about $396,998 from the proceeds, with co-conspirators passing him portions of their claim payments.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Leslie A. Wright. The investigation was led by the FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Insurance Fraud Bureau.