Ohio Physician, Assistant Indicted on Medicare Fraud

Charles C. Njoku, MD, of Powell, Ohio, and Veronica Scott-Guiler of Orient, Ohio, were indicted on 14 counts of making false statements tied to healthcare payments, one count of healthcare fraud and four counts of illegal distribution of controlled substances, according to a report in Business First of Columbus.

The U.S. District Court of Columbus unsealed the indictment, which alleges that from 2005-2009, Dr. Njoku and Ms. Scott-Guiler allegedly submitted claims for visits and services that never took place or occurred while Dr. Njoku was out of the country, according to the report. Ms. Scott-Guiler, who is not licensed to practice medicine, is accused of caring for patients in Dr. Njoku's absence and writing prescriptions for narcotics and other drugs using a pre-signed pad.

If convicted, the defendants face a maximum sentence of five years in prison for each count of making false statements, a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for healthcare fraud and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for distribution of a controlled substance, according to the report.

Read the Business First's report on Dr. Charles Njoku and Veronica Scott-Guiler.