4 guilty in $5.2M Medicare fraud scheme in Houston
Recent Cases
Four people have been convicted in Houston of conspiring to defraud the Medicare program out of $5.2 million over a three-year period.
A Justice Department statement identifies the four convicted Wednesday as 46-year-old Ezinne Ubani, 45-year-old Caroline Njoku and 47-year-old Terrie Porter, all of Houston, and 55-year-old Mary Ellis of Missouri City.
The federal jury in Houston acquitted 62-year-old Estella Joseph of Houston, all after a 15-day trial before U.S. District Judge Nancy Atlas.
Sentencing is scheduled for July 20-21. Ubani and Ellis could receive up to 20 years in prison, Njoku could get up to 15 years in prison, while Porter could get up to 10 years in prison.
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USCIS Issues Clarifying Guidance on NAFTA TN Status Eligibility for Economists
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that it is clarifying policy guidance (PDF, 71 KB) on the specific work activities its officers should consider when determining whether an individual qualifies for TN nonimmigrant status as an economist.
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) TN nonimmigrant status allows qualified Canadian and Mexican citizens to temporarily enter the U.S. to engage in specific professional activities, including the occupation of economist. The agreement, however, does not define the term economist, resulting in inconsistent decisions on whether certain analysts and financial professionals qualify for TN status as economists.
TN nonimmigrant status is intended to allow a limited number of professionals and specialists to work temporarily in certain specifically identified occupations in the United States. This updated guidance provides USCIS officers with a specific definition of one such category – economists – allowing them to adjudicate applications in a way that complies with the intent of the agreement. This policy update clarifies that professional economists requesting TN status must engage primarily in activities consistent with the profession of an economist. Individuals who work primarily in other occupations related to the field of economics — such as financial analysts, marketing analysts, and market research analysts — are not eligible for classification as a TN economist.