Nine individuals have been charged in the Southern District of Texas as part of a nationwide health care fraud takedown, involving schemes to defraud Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE totaling over $1 billion in alleged fraud. The charges, announced by Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck, include allegations of illegal drug diversion, mental health care fraud, and improper wound care treatment on elderly patients, as part of the Department of Justice’s 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown.
Among those charged are Tonya Crowder, 49, Marlene Durham, 55, and Demetrius Onuaguluchi, 34, for their alleged roles in operating two "pill mill" clinics in Houston and a pharmacy in Conroe. Crowder and Durham, identified as clinic managers, allegedly issued prescriptions for over 3.4 million pills, including oxycodone and hydrocodone. Onuaguluchi, a pharmacist, is accused of dispensing over 136,000 pills based on these prescriptions. Authorities seized over $80,000 in cash and property connected to this alleged drug diversion.
In a separate case, Katy residents Princepaul Agbonlahor and Nekewon Konah, both 51, along with Ginger Ruffin, 46, Stephanie Harris, 37, and Takiya Caradine, 33, face charges related to a $16 million Medicaid fraud scheme. Agbonlahor, owner of Lahor Behavioral Services LLC, allegedly billed Medicaid for mental health services for minors that were never provided. The indictment claims counselors, including Ruffin, Konah, Harris, and Caradine, created fake visit notes and falsified timesheets to conceal the fraudulent billing.
The Texas Strike Force also charged Marizel Yukee, a 49-year-old nurse practitioner from Las Vegas, Nevada, in connection with an alleged $906 million scheme to defraud Medicare and TRICARE. Yukee, through four mobile wound clinics, is accused of billing for medically unnecessary amniotic wound allografts, often targeting terminally ill elderly Medicare patients. The scheme allegedly involved applying expensive allografts to wounds without proper conservative treatment, to healed wounds, or to those not responding, while falsifying medical records. Yukee also allegedly engaged in illegal kickbacks for patient referrals and allograft purchases. Approximately $297 million was paid out on these false claims, and assets valued at $35.2 million, including luxury vehicles and jewelry, were seized.
This enforcement action is part of a broader national effort that has resulted in charges against 455 defendants across 56 federal districts and 45 states, involving over $6.5 billion in false claims. The takedown highlights unprecedented federal, state, and international cooperation, including the apprehension of fraudsters abroad. The Department of Justice’s National Fraud Enforcement Division, created on April 7, is focused on combating fraud, supporting President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.