Nigerian chief's Medicaid firm surges to $34 million amid opaque billing
Chief Nathan Ogbatue, celebrated for philanthropy in Abatete, Nigeria, runs California Home Health Agency, which saw Medicaid revenues jump from under $2 million to over $34 million in three years, raising fraud concerns.
Chief Nathan Ogbatue, revered in the Nigerian town of Abatete for building a palace and sponsoring community projects, also heads California Home Health Agency, a Medicaid-funded home-care provider. The agency’s Medicaid income grew from less than $2 million in 2018-2021 to more than $34 million in the following three years, a surge that coincided with high-value real-estate purchases by Ogbatue and his wife Agnes. Investigators highlight the agency’s unusually high claim volume, failure to file mandatory utilization reports since 2019, and an opaque staffing structure as potential indicators of fraud.
The Ogbatues acquired a $2.7 million Riverside mansion, a $1.9 million beach house and additional properties worth $1.4 million. Their home was previously linked to a bail-bond collateral tied to a Medicare fraud case involving Tamara Motley. When approached, Ogbatue dismissed questions about his business, and his lawyer, Wilfred Aka, who has a history of disciplinary actions, did not respond.
Why it matters
The story links rapid Medicaid billing growth to possible fraud and large personal wealth gains, highlighting oversight gaps in California's health program.
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