“Bank Roll” & “Kene” Busted: Two Maryland Men Sentenced in Massive Multistate ‘Lean’ & Opioid Conspiracy Tied to Virginia Doctor

Two Maryland men have admitted their roles in a multi-state conspiracy involving the illegal distribution of prescription opioids and cough syrups through an Annandale, Virginia physician, federal prosecutors said Thursday.

Obioma Alozie Ndubuka, 32, known as “Bank Roll,” of Derwood, Maryland, was sentenced in federal court in Roanoke to 24 months in prison after pleading guilty in February to conspiracy to distribute Schedule II controlled substances and to obtaining promethazine-codeine syrup by fraud.

Kenechukwu Brian Okwara, 29, known as “Kene,” of Bowie, Maryland, also pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy to distribute Schedule II controlled substances and to acquiring promethazine-codeine by fraud.

The charges stem from an investigation into Dr. Rotimi Iluyomade, an Annandale-based physician previously convicted of illegally distributing more than 7,000 oxycodone pills, 34,000 milliliters of hydrocodone-chlorpheniramine solution, commonly sold as Tussionex, and 107,000 milliliters of promethazine-codeine syrup, often referred to as “lean.”

Federal prosecutors said Iluyomade and several co-conspirators operated a scheme in 2023 and 2024 that involved sending fraudulent prescriptions to pharmacies in at least 16 states, including Virginia, Maryland, Texas, Florida and California. Authorities said at least 70 illegal prescriptions were transmitted to or filled at pharmacies in western Virginia.

According to court records, individuals visited Iluyomade’s medical clinic and provided lists of purported patients using false names, altered identifying information and fake addresses. Prosecutors said prescriptions were then issued for oxycodone, promethazine-codeine and hydrocodone-chlorpheniramine products and sent to pharmacies across the country.

Ndubuka traveled to pharmacies to pick up prescriptions written under fraudulent identities and later redistributed the drugs for profit. Prosecutors alleged that Iluyomade issued at least 134 fraudulent prescriptions using variations of the Ndubuka surname, tied to 56 separate residential addresses but sharing the same home telephone number. Court records state Ndubuka paid roughly $300 for each fraudulent prescription.

Okwara was among the first participants to obtain fraudulent prescriptions from Iluyomade at Crossover Medical Center in Annandale. Prosecutors said he later sold access to appointment “slots” with the physician to others involved in the conspiracy.

Several other defendants also have been charged, including Cameron Isaiah Lewis, 23, of Bowie; Elhadj Malick Diallo, 31, of Silver Spring; Zion Oluwademilade Adeduwon, 24, of Bowie; Yared Michael Tesfaye, 28, of Montgomery Village; and Raymono Alfonzo Russell II, 25, of Bowie. Adeduwon was sentenced in March to 42 months in prison.

The investigation began in September 2023 after Russell allegedly attempted to fill a fraudulent promethazine-codeine prescription at a pharmacy in Honaker, Virginia. Prosecutors said a subsequent search of his vehicle uncovered multiple prescription bottles issued by Iluyomade and filled under various names at pharmacies in Roanoke, Radford, Tazewell and Floyd.

“Fugitive Autism Researcher Extradited from Germany After 14 Years for Allegedly Stealing $1M in CDC Grant Funds to Buy Harley-Davidson & Atlanta Home”

A Danish autism researcher accused of stealing more than $1 million in U.S. grant money intended for public health studies has been extradited from Germany and arraigned in federal court in Atlanta, prosecutors announced Thursday.

Poul Thorsen, 65, appeared before a U.S. magistrate judge after being returned to the United States to face two counts of wire fraud and nine counts of money laundering tied to federally funded research grants administered through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Federal authorities allege Thorsen diverted money awarded for studies examining autism and vaccine exposure, cerebral palsy and maternal infection during pregnancy, and fetal alcohol exposure and childhood development.

“Poul Thorsen allegedly stole more than $1 million in federal grant money by submitting fabricated invoices and diverting funds to his personal bank accounts,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “International fugitives who think they can avoid responsibility for serious federal crimes by living overseas are wrong. Due to the unwavering persistence of my office and our law enforcement partners, Thorsen has been extradited to the United States and will face justice in federal court.”

According to prosecutors, the CDC’s Division of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities awarded more than $11 million between 2000 and 2009 to two Danish government agencies to conduct the research. Thorsen, who previously worked as a visiting scientist at the CDC, became responsible for overseeing the grant funds in 2002.

Between 2004 and 2008, Thorsen submitted more than a dozen fraudulent invoices to Danish institutions, including Aarhus University and a Danish hospital involved in the research. Prosecutors said the invoices falsely claimed that a CDC laboratory had performed work requiring payment and included the forged signature of a CDC laboratory section chief.

The university then transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars to accounts at the CDC Federal Credit Union that it believed belonged to the agency. Prosecutors allege the accounts were actually controlled by Thorsen personally.

“Thorsen is alleged to have diverted more than a million dollars designated for critical public health and autism research. These funds were entrusted to advance scientific understanding and support children and families; instead, these tax dollars were exploited for personal gain, a serious breach of law and profound betrayal of public trust,” said Kelly Blackmon, Special Agent in Charge with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General.

Federal officials contend Thorsen used the money for personal expenses, including the purchase of a home in Atlanta, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle and Audi and Honda vehicles.

A federal grand jury in Atlanta indicted Thorsen in April 2011, and a magistrate judge issued an arrest warrant the same year. Prosecutors said Thorsen remained in Denmark for nearly 14 years, avoiding arrest until he was detained in Passau, Germany, on June 4, 2025, under an INTERPOL Red Notice.

German authorities later approved his extradition. Thorsen was returned to the United States on May 7 and remains in federal custody without bond pending further proceedings.

Thorsen is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen H. McClain is prosecuting the case.

3 Illinois Nursing Homes Pay $300K to Settle Medicare Fraud Claims: Patients Got ‘Medically Unnecessary’ Therapy to Boost Reimbursements

Three affiliated Illinois skilled nursing facilities have agreed to pay $300,000 to settle allegations that they billed Medicare for medically unnecessary rehabilitation services, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The facilities — Symphony Jackson Square LLC, operating as Symphony of Chicago West; Symphony Park South LLC, operating as Symphony of Morgan Park; and Symphony Midway LLC — were accused of submitting or causing the submission of false claims to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services between 2014 and 2019.

Federal prosecutors alleged the facilities provided physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech pathology services for longer periods than medically necessary in order to increase Medicare reimbursement payments.

At the time, Medicare reimbursed skilled nursing facilities under a system known as the Resource Utilization Group, or RUG, which tied payments to the amount of therapy and services a patient received. Higher levels of therapy resulted in higher reimbursement rates.

“We expect nursing facilities to provide their patients, which include some of our most vulnerable citizens, reasonable and appropriate amounts of skilled rehabilitation therapy services,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.

“Providing unnecessary medical services endangers the health of patients and raises the cost of treatment and insurance premiums for hard-working taxpayers,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Boutros for the Northern District of Illinois.

The facilities inflated patients’ RUG classifications by administering therapy without regard to individual medical needs, resulting in false claims for reimbursement.

The settlement amount was based on the facilities’ ability to pay, officials said.

“Skilled nursing facilities that place profits above patient care betray the trust placed in them by vulnerable beneficiaries and the Medicare program,” said Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Scott J. Lampert of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS‑OIG).

The allegations were first raised in a whistleblower lawsuit filed by Integra Med Analytics LLC under the False Claims Act, which allows private parties to sue on behalf of the federal government and share in any recovery. The whistle-blower will receive $45,000 from the settlement proceeds.

The settlement resolves allegations only, and the facilities did not admit liability.