Oklahoma County — An Edmond man has been charged with Abuse by Caretaker following an investigation by the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU).

Gerald Ngwa, 37, was arrested on July 22, 2022, by an MFCU agent and an Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Deputy.

The MFCU investigation began after a referral was received from the Oklahoma City Police Department regarding a report of potential abuse by a caretaker at Villagio Senior Living in Oklahoma City. During the investigation, MFCU agents obtained witness statements and other evidence confirming Ngwa slapped a resident on the left side of her face above the eye. At the time of the alleged incident, Ngwa was a nurse working at Villagio through a third-party staffing agency.

Abuse by Caretaker is a felony and, if convicted, Ngwa faces up to 10 years in prison and/or fines up to $10,000.00. Following the arrest, Ngwa was booked into the Oklahoma County Jail and subsequently released on July 22 after posting bond.

As with all defendants, Ngwa is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty in a court of law.

The Oklahoma MFCU investigates and prosecutes cases of abuse, neglect, drug diversion, and financial exploitation of elderly and vulnerable adults. In this role, the MFCU serves as a safeguard against caretakers who abuse, neglect, or exploit vulnerable Oklahomans.

The Oklahoma MFCU has statewide jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute violations of state and federal laws pertaining to provider fraud in the administration of the Medicaid program. Additionally, the MFCU pursues and monitors Qui Tam or whistleblower litigation at the Oklahoma level and on a national level in conjunction with other state’s MFCU and U.S. Attorneys offices.

The MFCU can recover Medicaid funds by pursuing criminal sanctions, civil judgments, or administrative recoveries.

To file a complaint with the Office of the Oklahoma Attorney General Medicaid Fraud Control Unit call 1-405-522-2963 or through the following link:

https://www.oag.ok.gov/medicaid-fraud-citizen-resources

The Oklahoma MFCU receives 75% percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $3,424,943.00 for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2022. The remaining 25% percent, totaling $856,235.00 for FY 2022, is funded by the State of Oklahoma. The federal fiscal year is defined as October 1, 2021, through September 30, 2022.

About CapitolBeatOK.com: This news story adapted from a press release issued by the Oklahoma attorney general’s office. An independent news service based in Oklahoma City founded by Patrick B. McGuigan in 2009, CapitolBeat.com is non-partisan and locally managed. McGuigan is publisher and editor. This news service concentrates much of its coverage on Oklahoma’s state and local governments, politicians and events. Many stories (both “staff reports” and original content) focus on news from the seat of Oklahoma government, the State Capitol. The website also serves as an archive for McGuigan’s work in journalism, legal analysis, arts and entertainment news and other “beats” (areas of coverage). McGuigan is a member of the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame, a former member of the Board of Directors for BirthChoice of Oklahoma, and co-founder (in 1974) of Birthright of Stillwater. He is the author of three books and co-editor of seven, most of them on legal policy.