By Hank Russell
A Hewlett man has been arrested and indicted for allegedly charging Medicaid by more than $2.5 million, then pocketing the money and using it to purchase luxury cars and make mortgage payments on his home. The scheme allegedly left children without the nutritional supplements they needed.
An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) found that from April 13, 2023, to July 15, 2025, Nduka Lewis Ekpenyong allegedly submitted over 6,000 claims to Medicaid through his company, Duke Medical, Inc. — a medical supply company located in Brownsville, Brooklyn — for PediaSure with Peptides, but did not purchase the vast majority of the product for which he submitted claims to Medicaid. Ekpenyong allegedly pocketed more than $2.5 million from Medicaid through his false billing scheme, which he used to buy luxury cars, including a Bentley and a Range Rover, and pay the mortgage on his Long Island mansion.
The OAG’s investigation found that Ekpenyong allegedly instructed office staff at pediatric practices to alter doctors’ prescriptions for the basic PediaSure Nutritional Supplement and submit requests that would allow him to bill Medicaid for the more expensive, and medically unnecessary, PediaSure with Peptides, which is intended only for children diagnosed with severe gastrointestinal issues.
In fact, an OAG audit revealed that Duke Medical purchased only 10% of the amount for which Ekpenyong billed Medicaid. As a result, Medicaid paid Duke Medical approximately $2,531,194.30 for the medicine that, in many cases, was not purchased or delivered by Duke Medical at all. The OAG’s investigation found that Duke Medical’s fraudulent scheme prevented some families in need from getting the formula their children’s pediatricians had ordered, preventing them from receiving the care they needed.
Ekpenyong and Duke Medical were charged with one count of Grand Larceny in the First Degree, one count of Health Care Fraud in the Second Degree, and one count of Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree. If convicted, Ekpenyong faces a maximum sentence of eight-and-a-third to 25 years in state prison on the top count.
“While Nduka Ekpenyong was buying luxury cars with money he allegedly stole from our state’s Medicaid program, families affected by his fraud were struggling to feed their children,” Attorney General Letitia James said. “My office has shut down this heartless fraud scheme for good. This case should send a strong message to anyone seeking to profit by exploiting Medicaid: we will use the full force of the law to bring you to justice.”
In addition to the criminal indictment against Ekpenyong and Duke Medical, James filed a civil asset forfeiture action, allowing the OAG to seize the defendant’s assets. The OAG’s civil asset forfeiture action also constrains Ekpenyong from selling his house and seeks $7,593,582.90 in damages.