A Maryland woman has admitted to participating in a scheme to defraud Medicaid by submitting false claims for home health services that were not provided. Carolyn Bryant-Taylor, 61, of Clinton, Maryland, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud in federal court. She faces up to 10 years in prison at sentencing.
Bryant-Taylor was among several individuals charged in March 2025 in connection with the fraudulent activities at 1st Adult N Pediatric Healthcare Service. The other defendants include Kafomdi “Josephine” Okocha and Samuel Okocha of Upper Marlboro, Maryland; Shekita Gore (also known as Shekita Steele) of Clinton, Maryland; Elizabeth Ilome and Eno Utuk of Stafford, Virginia.
Court documents state that Bryant-Taylor, Josephine Okocha, and Samuel Okocha owned and operated the Medicaid-enrolled agency, which offered private duty nursing, personal care, and respite care services across Virginia. Gore served as director of nursing while Utuk and Ilome worked as nurses or personal care providers.
Prosecutors say the group conspired to submit fraudulent claims to Medicaid by falsifying records and documentation. Between 2017 and 2023, Bryant-Taylor and Josephine Okocha arranged payments to parents or guardians of patients in exchange for blank signed nursing notes. These notes were later used to support billing Medicaid for services that either did not occur or exceeded what was actually provided.
The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Virginia Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit with help from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
“Robert N. Tracci, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Stephen Farina of the FBI’s Richmond Division made the announcement.”
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan Jones and Laura Taylor are prosecuting the case along with Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Terry from the Virginia Attorney General’s Office.
