A Kenyan man has been convicted in the United States after a jury found him guilty on all 11 counts in a major Medicaid fraud case involving a fake nurse staffing network that placed vulnerable patients at risk in long-term care facilities.
A King County jury delivered the guilty verdict against David Mungai Njenga on May 28, following a trial prosecuted by the Medicaid Fraud & Abuse Division of the Washington State Attorney General’s Office.
According to a statement published by the Washington State Office of the Attorney General, David Njenga was found guilty of leading organized crime, first- and second-degree identity theft, and first- and second-degree theft.
Kenyan Convicted in US Over Fake Nurse Staffing Scheme, Faces 16 Years in Jail
Prosecutors said David Njenga ran a fraudulent nurse staffing agency that used stolen identities of real licensed nurses to place unqualified individuals in healthcare facilities across Washington state.
This is the first Medicaid fraud trial in Washington to result in a conviction for leading organized crime.
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According to court documents, David Njenga created an illegal staffing company based in Kent, Washington, first known as Heritage Medical Staffing, Inc., and later renamed Pro Med Alliance Medical Staffing, Inc.
Through the company, he allegedly supplied nursing homes with impostor workers who used stolen credentials belonging to real nurses.
The facilities, located in areas including Yakima, Bothell, Redmond, Shoreline, Vashon Island, and North Bend, believed they were hiring qualified licensed nurses.
However, investigators said many of the workers were unqualified and in some cases lacked basic medical knowledge, including how to take blood pressure or administer medication properly.
“The nursing homes paid Njenga for what they thought were real licensed nurses. Njenga kept most of that money for himself, paying the imposter nurses far below what real nurses would be paid. At some of the nursing homes, the unqualified nurses displayed a lack of basic healthcare knowledge, such as how to take someone’s blood pressure, and dispensed the wrong medication, putting the health of residents at risk,” the statement said.
Officials warned that this put patients at serious risk, including cases where incorrect medication was allegedly given to residents in long-term care facilities.
“This verdict is the result of our team’s commitment to cracking down on Medicaid fraud and ensuring the safety of our health system,” said Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown.
“We are gratified to get justice for the many people harmed and put at risk by these crimes.”
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Authorities Detail How David Njenga Stole Nurse Identities in Multi-Year US Fraud Case
The Attorney General’s Office said the scheme operated between May 2017 and October 2019, during which Njenga allegedly obtained the identities of five licensed nurses and used them to create fake credentials and identification documents.
The case was initially referred to prosecutors in 2019 after a separate arrest involving a woman who had worked for Njenga and was found using fake nursing documents.
Njenga is scheduled to be sentenced on June 16 in King County Superior Court. He faces between 12 and 16.5 years in prison, along with financial penalties of up to $50,000.
A co-defendant, Everlyn Njuki, was not tried in the case and is currently outside the country, with a bench warrant issued for her arrest.
The Medicaid Fraud & Abuse Division said it continues to pursue healthcare fraud cases to protect patients and recover stolen public funds.
